So Long as No One Knows
by Lothlorienx
Summary: [For ReaderPal by request] [Terra x Raven] During a nighttime outing, Raven stumbles upon Terra. Her first instinct is to pretend that the two had never seen each other, but that wasn't the choice they made...
1. Chapter 1

"We know you have trouble controlling your powers," Robin had said, the communicator still held in his hand. Terra had never taken it.

"You told!" she had screamed at Beast Boy, betrayal in her eyes. Without another word, she turned around and ran, not ever looking back. She had disappeared, lost somewhere within Jump City, and that was the last Raven had ever saw of her.

Until tonight, that was.

Just as Raven left the old apothecary shop that she loved so dearly, musing over her newest potions, she had seen her within the dim light of the street lamps. She looked tired, worn, heavy bags under her eyes.

Terra hadn't seen her, it being too dark for her to see clearly at all.

Raven looked her over once, curiously, then turned her back, not bothering with her. Terra could take care of herself, as she had plenty of times before. She didn't want to see them again, and Raven was perfectly fine with that.

But still, when Terra started coughing, she stopped, turning back around to look at her.

When her coughing ended, she rubbed her throat, and let out a groan. A spike of worry rose up in her, and Raven hesitantly took a few steps closer to her former friend. If she had ever been that. With a closer look, Raven could see that she wasn't doing as well as she had hoped. Terra looked thin, and even though she was holding a burrito in front of her, Raven knew that she hadn't eaten much for a long time.

Her eyes were bloodshot, and her skin looked sallow. She was moving slowly, but perhaps that was just because she was so sleeping. Raven knew that it was well past midnight, and most people were normally asleep at that time. Or at least in bed.

Terra finished eating her burrito, and threw the wrapper in the nearby trashcan. Spinning, she was about to walk away when she saw Raven standing in the shadows, watching her.

Her first instinct was to pretend she hadn't seen her, but Raven was an empath. That much Terra remembered with perfect clarity. She would have known that Terra was ignoring her, but then the thought came to her: Why should she care?

'Because you still want to be her friend,' came her thoughts.

Looking down at the ground, she said, "What are you doing here?"

"Getting new potions," Raven replied in her usual monotone voice. "And you?"

Terra looked up at Raven, still hidden within the shadows. She gave a shrug and looked away. "You know, just living life."

A moment of silence passed between them.

"You sound ill," Raven said to her. She watched Terra closely, gouging her reaction. An expression of sadness passed her face, one of regret, before she quickly hid it away. Raven had to admit, she found it almost endearing to see her starting to control her emotions.

Almost.

"Yeah, well, the weather's been bad lately."

Terra tried to play it off like it was nothing, but another coughing fit gave her away. Raven watched in silence, feeling somewhat sorry to see Terra this way. She felt for her, she honestly did. In ways, Raven could relate so much to Terra.

Terra was alone and out on the streets, something that Raven had been for a good majority of her time on Earth. When Terra had even become part of the team, she was scared about her powers, another thing Raven could relate to. Raven came to realize that if Terra's powers had been demonic instead of Earth-Based, Terra's life was have mirrored hers.

"You need medicine," Raven told her, taking another step forward.

"I'm fine," Terra responded automatically, not even thinking about her words.

Raven shook her head.

"Look, I don't care if you hate me. Or if you don't want anything to do with me. But listen to what I am saying; you need medicine, Terra."

At the sound of her name, Terra shuddered.

"Why do you care so much?" she whispered.

"Because…"

Raven chose her words carefully.

"Because you deserve to be healthy. And safe. You were my friend once, and I care whether or not you're in good health."

At her words, something in Terra softened. She flicked her eyes back and forth between Raven and the sidewalk, not sure where to look. There was so much happening in her head that there really was no place to look. Facing Raven was the best option, she decided.

"Thanks…really…but um…"

Terra found that she didn't have an excuse.

Sensing that she was finally giving in, Raven took a few more steps into the light. Terra could see her clearly now. She was dressed as she always was, with her black bodysuit and blue cloak, but her hood was down, and she seemed…comfier somehow.

A bag dangled from her hand, from the local apothecary shop, and Terra didn't need to be told what was in it.

Terra had never called Raven's a witch, and she didn't think she would. Though she did have a good reason to. She shook her head to clear her thoughts.

"Fine," Terra said at last, giving in. "I'll take some stupid medicine. Where is it?"

"You don't understand," Raven said back. "I'll heal you with my powers; potions are no better than some over-the-counter syrup."

Heat rose to Terra's face as she thought of Raven healing her. She remembered Raven's powers from back at the Tower, the blue mystic magic seeping from her fingertips and connecting with her being. Terra had no doubt that Raven could take whatever ailment she had away from her…but the thought was so intimate…

"Is that a problem?" Raven asked, her voice softening.

Terra's words stuck in her throat, so she just shook her head, no. It wouldn't be a problem.

"Come on," Raven said to her, gesturing for Terra to walk with her.

With a sigh, Terra stepped up to her, walking along the sidewalk next to her former friend. They said nothing for the longest time, only watched as their shadows grew and shrunk as they passed the yellow light of the street lamps. It didn't occur to Terra that Raven might be taking her back to the Tower.

She might not have known her well, but she knew that characters like Raven didn't do that sort of thing. Raven wouldn't take her back to the Tower, for her trust had been too badly shaken to let Terra back into the sanctuary of her home.

But where is she taking me? Terra wondered.

She got her answer soon enough when Raven rounded the corner, taking her into a back alley way and stepping up to a large, outdated phone booth. Terra couldn't actually believe that old things like those were actually still around. She punched in a series of numbers, and the door flew open.

"Come," she said to Terra, and Terra stepped into the booth with her.

Before she knew what was happening, a sudden lurch drove her stomach up into her throat, the world was spinning around her, and the air was driven from her lungs. When she was able to compose herself again, she found herself in a completely different space. Looking around, she saw that it was a fairly large room, equipped with most of the stuff she had seen in the Tower.

"This is one of those 'safe houses,' isn't it?" Terra asked her.

Raven nodded, and set her bag down on a nearby table.

"There should be medicine in here, shouldn't there be?" Terra eyed all the cabinets that were lined up on the walls, trying to see past them.

"Not just medicine. We have enough equipment to supply an entire hospital if need be."

Terra was about to say something back, when an irritated scraping sound rang through the air. Raven had pulled a chair out, offering it to Terra to sit down. Still wincing from the pain of the sound, Terra obliged and sat down in the chair she offered.

Raven's hands came to the sides of her head, and Terra felt the soothing coldness seep into her skin. It was like chilled honey, eerie and mystical in feeling, working its way into her bloodstream. From the sides of her eyes, Terra could see the blue glow that had formed around Raven's hands, dancing around her fingertips. Raven's hands moved lower, focusing now on her throat.

The rawness that had been bothering Terra all night suddenly disappeared. She swallowed, finding that it was no longer painful, and her sinuses were clearing up. Nothing burned anymore, and she felt her mind clearing.

It became so relaxing, Terra never wanted Raven to stop.

Everything felt cold and warm at the same time, and her skin felt like it radiated freshness. Breathing in deep was like a reward, and she filled her lungs with the sweet air.

"See? That wasn't so bad?" Raven asked her.

Her hands dropped back down to her sides, and Terra was left with only the lingering feeling of Raven's hands healing her.

Nodding, Terra said, "That was wonderful, actually."

She thought she saw a smile smile tug at the corners of Raven's lips, but Raven didn't smile. All her time at the Tower, all the time the two of them had spent together, Terra hadn't seen her smile.

Cabinet doors were opening, and Raven pulled a bottle of medicine out; a thick, syrupy cough suppressant, and a small bottle of pills used to fight off colds and fevers. Placing them in front of Terra, she told her to take these after she had left.

"You won't be staying?" Terra asked Raven.

After the words had left her lips, Terra realized how foolish she must of sounded. Of course Raven wouldn't be spending the night here. Why would she? The healing process must have made her more amorous than she realized. Since her eyes were focused on her hands, clenching and unclenching in her lap, she didn't see Raven shake her head.

"I'm needed back at the Tower. My teammates are expecting me, and I can't just run off…"

An edge of bitterness crept into her voice, and Terra felt herself grow angry. She knew that she was referring to her. Terra regretted it, running off, but she didn't need Raven throwing it back into her face and mocking her.

"I was scared, okay?" Terra said defensively.

"Of what?" Raven snapped back. "We offered to help you. Beast Boy never told any of us your secret, we could figure out you had trouble without him telling us."

"You just…you just don't understand!"

"I don't?" Raven asked. "I don't understand what it's like to be afraid of my powers? I don't understand what it's like to be afraid of myself? I don't understand what it's like to be shunned or hated? Let me explain this, I understand all of that. I've walked in your shoes before, I know what it's like to be outcast and afraid."

Raven leaned in close to Terra, and Terra shrunk back away from her.

"But here's the difference between you and me. I took a chance. I trusted people, with my secrets and my fears. I put my heart into their hands and they never abused that. You should have trusted us too; we had already accepted you for what you were."

Terra didn't know why, but tears spilled from her eyes. She suspected that part of it might be from shame. She let her head droop, and her blonde hair spill around her like a curtain, hiding her weak emotions from Raven.

Even if she was an empath, she didn't need to see her tears.

"Please don't do that," Raven said, feeling dizzy with the powerful emotions Terra was sending her way. She cupped Terra's chin in her hand, lifting the girl's gaze to meet her own. Terra didn't resist. She knew that Raven was right.

They had accepted her, and she still turned her back to them.

Raven wiped away Terra's tears with her thumb, trying to calm her back down.

"Please, just go," Terra told her. "Please."

With a sigh, Raven left Terra in the safe house, flying the rest of the way back to the Tower. She wondered if Terra would still be there in the morning, and if she was, Raven would go see her. Her former friend, her former teammate. But she didn't want to give up on her.

But why, she didn't know.


	2. Chapter 2

**Because I've been asked, yes I am planning on making this a romance. A pretty hot romance at that. Also some other stuff with this...just want and see.**

* * *

Terra stayed within the safe house all day and night, though she didn't know why. There were a number of reasons, she supposed somewhere within her, but the main one was that she wanted to see Raven again. When they had met the other night, Terra could sense a tension in her, one that was reflected in herself, but she felt drawn to it. Something about it made Terra want to get closer to her, close enough to ease the tension and break the facade that Raven always put on.

She wanted to see that maybe Raven did care for her as a friend.

What Terra thought about is if she had stayed with the Titans, the first time she had met them. They wouldn't have shunned her, and Beast Boy didn't tell. Raven had been honest about that much; Terra could decipher the truth by the tone of her voice.

A skill that she normally didn't have, but getting close to an empath made strange, supernatural things happen. Not that she was apart from Raven, Terra felt normal again. Well, almost normal. She was in a Titans safe house, waiting for a Titan to come back and monitor her. She wasn't outside, underneath the stars, finding her own path in the world and fending for herself. It was a new feeling, to be safe and secure in this big room somewhere hidden in the city.

Terra came to realize she didn't like it.

All day, she had spent the time examining the room. It was big, with only two rooms. A main room, and then a separate bathroom, that was almost just as big. Terra came to the conclusion that this room must have been built to hold all of the Titans, and maybe then some. There were three murphy-beds and two long couches with pull out beds. And two single arm chairs with pullout beds as well. There were eight chairs total in the safe house, but only four of them were out, set around a medium-sized dining table.

Terra had raided the kitchen, unbelievably hungry.

Raven had been right about Terra not eating very often. She sometimes came by money to pay for food, cheap food mostly. But other times she had friends in the old, out-of-town, run-down diners who would give her a meal on the house, and the only tips Terra had to give was an exciting story or two. And sometimes a sympathetic ear and a shoulder to lean on, for her life wasn't the only hard one out there.

The food in the safe house was almost all canned. There were a few boxes of cereal, and unmade oatmeal and granola, with granola and protein bars. Bottles upon bottles of water, still in their plastic bundles.

Terra went for the cereal first, eating it like she would dried chips. Then had a protein bar. She had been saving the canned foods for last, since she knew that would be where the sweetest, freshest food was. And it was the most variety, too. Fruits and vegetables and even juice lined the shelves of the small-but-stocked pantry. Then there were soups, and pastas, and pre-cooked meats sealed safely away.

Digging deep into the cans, a label caught her eye. Ravioli. Licking her lips, Terra tore upon the can, eating the ravioli straight out of the can and then scooping up the thick tomato sauces that clung to the insides. She ate another can of ravioli, then went for the bottled water. It had all been so delicious, and for the first time in over two months, Terra felt full. Deliciously full.

If she had to bolt from the safe house, leave the Titans far behind her like she had done last time, she felt that it would have been at least four days before severe hunger pains started gnawing at her stomach once more.

But still, as the evening approached all the faster, she didn't want to leave.

Not yet anyway.

There was a small television in the safe house as well. Terra flicked back and forth between the channels, watching them slowly, counting the white digital numbers in the corner of the screen. Ten channels, and almost all of them news stations.

Just as Terra hit the up button once more, a feeling of dread came over her. Backing away from the television, she put her hands up to her arms, bracing herself against the sudden eeriness that had crept over her. At first, she thought it might have been the television. She wasn't used to televisions, and she could count on two hands the number of times she had watched it.

But no, that wasn't it.

Terra's breath came out of her oddly calm, and admist the eerie darkness that was creeping over her soul, something felt soothing. Comforting. It was strange and familiar all at the same time, and Terra let her nerves indulge in the feeling of this enigma.

A circle of black appeared upon the floor near her, white light crackling at the edges, and the colors flowed up and to life. And in the middle stood Raven. As her feet settled onto the ground, the black lights that had surrounded her died away, ghosting away into nothing.

So that was it, Terra thought.

She dropped her hands back down to her sides, taking in the sight of Raven before her. She looked just as she had remembered; black bodysuit, blue cloak, a shadow over her eyes. Blackness edged with white light encircled Raven's hood, and she pulled it back to reveal her face.

It looked kind.

"You stayed," Raven said. Her voice was calm, quiet, but still she sounded surprised. She thought that Terra would have been long gone by now.

"Yeah," Terra said, not knowing what else to say. She blushed slightly, and leveled her head down. Strands of her blonde hair fell in front of her face, covering a single eye. It curtained her almost, a cloak of her own to hide her face.

Almost.

"I have something for you," Raven said, causing Terra to look back up at her.

She held two bags in her hand, both of them made only of plain brown paper. But from the aroma that wafter towards her, Terra could tell that in one of them was a hot meal. Her mouth started salivating at the thought of eating something again, and something hot…and cooked well…and maybe with extra seasonings and flavor. There was only so much food you could buy for five or ten dollars at a time.

The other bag, she didn't care about. Not at that moment.

"Thanks!" Terra said, taking the food back from her hand and rushing over to the table. She plopped down into the chair and dug in the bag, pulling out the most beautiful looking food in the world. Her eyes actually started watering over it.

Seasoned scrambled eggs, blueberry pancakes with syrup soaked into them, sizzling bacon and sausages piled high in the container, a couple of slabs of toast. Digging into the bag again, she found small little packages of butter and jams and…ketchup. There was another small container in the bag, this one containing hash browns and french fries, and a pasta mixed in with every kind of meat she could imagine.

"Thank you so much!" Terra said again, her eyes wide.

Raven sat down at the table with her, saying nothing and sitting watching her while Terra devoured the meal she had bought for her. To her joy, she discovered she couldn't eat it all in one sitting…which meant that she had leftovers…which meant that she would have good food for the next day…and maybe the next after that.

When Terra regained herself, she looked over at Raven to see her normal cold stare upon her. Something inside of Terra shrunk down, and suddenly she wished she had made more of an effort to talk to her.

"So…" Terra said awkwardly, trying to think of something, of anything to say.

Raven could feel the texture of Terra's emotions thick against her skin. It slid through her veins, filled her head like a vision, and made her blink several times. Just trying to clear her thoughts of the thickness of her emotions, of the whirlwind that was suddenly tearing through her mind.

Raven almost wanted to think, Poor girl, but she didn't.

She knew better than that.

"What's in the other bag?" Terra asked her.

Raven reached down to the floor, and brought the other brown bag upon onto the table for her to see it. Terra pulled it towards her, slowly, not quite wanting to know what was inside of it. She knew it wouldn't be more food; Raven's empathic powers radiated towards her somewhat. It made her freakishly aware of herself, and how she was perceiving everything around her.

Reaching in, Terra pulled out a fresh set of clean clothes, a smaller bag filled with dozens upon dozens of rocks with the dirt still clinging to them, and…

She gulped, not fully able to believe her eyes.

"Is this…?"

"No," Raven said shaking her head. "It's not a Titans communicator. This is a distress signal."

Terra turned the object over and over again in her hand, judging the weight, the shape, the size. It all felt so real, so official. Robin had placed a real one in her hand one time, when he was offering for her to become a Titan. She could almost feel that moment in time once more. Holding the device in her hand for the first time, the sense of pride and happiness that had flooded through her, only to be ripped out of her a second later.

"You told!" she had screamed at Beast Boy. Her throat felt raw, even when she had shed no tears. A tiny, fleeting memory of the stunned faces of her former friends passed through her mind.

"Don't think about that," Raven told her. "What's done is done."

She said nothing in response.

What was there to say?

With a sigh, Terra dropped the device down onto the tabletop, letting it lay there in plain sight. Her eyes were still fixed on it, marveling at it. Not a communicator. A distress signal.

"What do I need a distress signal for?" Terra asked her, looking back up into her friend's face once more. Raven's eyes met hers, and she blinked twice.

"In case you are in distress and need assistance."

"But for what?" Terra asked. Her fingers hovered over the device once more, part of her wanting to clasp it in her hand once more, part of her unable to touch such a thing. "If I'm in distress, I think I can handle it," Terra told her. "I don't need the Titans rushing in to save me."

The fake confidence in her voice didn't fool Raven in the least.

"Speaking of which," Terra said, making her way to her feet, "why haven't any of the other Titans noticed I'm here? This is one of their safe houses, shouldn't they have been alerted that someone was in it or something?"

Raven shook her head.

"The point of a safe house is for a hideout. Someplace to go where you will be safe from others, from prying eyes, and from any villains who may want you dead. If someone were to seize control of Titans Tower, and we were all forced into a safe house, and if we have monitors around or in the safe house, then it'd give away our location." Raven put a hand to her temple, looking exasperated, unbelieving that she had to explain this.

If everyone knew about the safe house, it wouldn't be safe.

The texture of Terra's emotion slammed into Raven once more, knocking surprise into her. With her eyes opening, she could see Terra wearing an angry look upon her face.

Oh, wonderful, Raven thought.

"Don't speak to me like I'm a child," Terra told her.

"Then don't ask dumb questions," Raven responded, her voice oddly cool. She pressed her fingers further into her head, rubbing circles around the temples, as the force of Terra's emotions grew stronger.

"It wasn't a dumb question!" she told her. "It was a reasonable question! A question that…that…that was reasonable."

Raven tried to bite back the snide remark, but it left her lips too quickly. "You have such a way with words."

"Will you quit making fun of me?!" Terra asked, her voice bordering on a scream. She leaned in close to Raven's face, as if challenging her, trying to impose some kind of dominance over her. Terra jabbed a finger towards Raven's chest, trying to validate herself all the more.

Raven didn't want to hear it, but she listened anyway.

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to be me?" Terra suddenly asked her, tears stinging her eyes. Raven raised her head once more, locking eyes with her. The bruises underneath Terra's eyes were darkening, and a redness was creeping around the skin. A single teardrop ran down Terra's face, but it was out of anger just as much as sadness.

This Raven knew.

"You're right, I'm sorry," Raven said to her, trying to do anything that would make her empathic headache go away. She breathed deep, sighing with every breath. A strong urge to meditate came upon her, and she considered just leaning Terra once more and for good. A soothing cult of tea, an hour long meditation session in the calmness of her room.

It sounded like paradise to her.

But she stayed. Reaching forward, Raven grabbed at the cloth back filed with the rocks, opening the drawstring and emptying the contents onto the once-clean table.

"What are doing?" Terra asked. Confusion mixed in with her other emotions.

Yes, I do know how hard it is to be you. Have we had been in different positions at different times, you might be the Titan with a secured place in the tower, and I still the loner girl trying to stay alive." She gestured to the rocks that had tumbled down onto the table. "I want to help you."

"Help me?"

Holding her hand out, a yellow glow emanated from her palm, and the rocks on the table starting shaking, following her commands. They all rattled and quivered against the wooden surface until Terra had had enough. She dropped her hand back down to her side, not even bothering to cover up her desperation with false confidence.

"Do you mean it?"

"Yes."

"Do you think you can?"

"I believe so." Raven stood up from the table, and went to stand close to Terra. With their bodies so close together, Terra noticed that Raven was a few inches taller than her. And the soft scent on her skin, wafting towards her and putting her at a strange ease.

"My powers are far more dangerous than yours, and I've managed to control them."

"So what's your plan? Have me meditate all day long while balancing a rock on my head?" Terra asked her, her tone snarky.

Anger contorted Raven's face, and for a moment Terra thought that she was about to drag her, and make her eat her words. But just as quickly as it appeared, it disappeared once more. Raven's control over her emotions and thoughts showed. Calming herself, she spoke once more:

"Do you want my help or not?"

Terra thought for a moment, considering the alternatives. Roaming around through the cities and small towns, forests and craggy rocks that eventually led to the ocean. It didn't sound bad at all; Terra loved every moment of it, of being free to go where she wanted and do whatever she wanted. But still, even free and alone, she was scared of losing control, of her powers lashing out, and eventually crushing her.

The other alternative was to become an apprentice to…

"Yes," Terra said, "I would like your help."

Raven smiled. An actual genuine smile.

Terra stared at her lips; seeing such a happy expression on her features was still something foreign to her. In time she would get used to it, Terra told herself. If Raven kept on seeing her, and Terra kept on sticking around to let Raven help her.


	3. Chapter 3

It was a relief when Raven finally left.

Terra knew she was trying to help, but that still didn't make it less annoying. She had been drilling her almost all day, and even when Terra had finally gotten the hang of controlling ten different stones at the same time—with perfect accuracy, mind you—Raven still wouldn't give her a break. Stress was starting to bubble on the surface of her conscious, and Raven had stopped at last, her empathic powers unable to handle the nature of stress.

Especially from someone else.

And so, when Raven left to answer the beeping call on the Titans communicator to go fight whatever the latest foe was, Terra felt relief.

She paced barefoot across the floor, and shed her gloves and shirt, finally being able to relax and cool down. When they had been training, Terra had crushed some of the rocks to dust, and the fine debris clung to the bottoms of her feet. It made her feel better, to feel some form of earth upon her skin instead of being locked up here.

Terra knew that she could leave whenever she wanted.

The door to the outside world stood open and ready for her. All she needed to do was step into the tunnel that filtered in and out of this place, press the button to ascend, and she would be free once more. She could take the food, and the medicine and soaps, and the fresh clothes Raven had given her.

But she didn't. She stayed.

Maybe, if Terra had felt more trapped, she would have left.

But she didn't feel trapped. She felt safe, secure. Raven gave her stress, to an extent, but she never tried to overpower her or make her feel bad. Terra knew that if she left, Raven would let her. If she screamed at her, Raven wouldn't attack her. Raven wanted to help her, and Terra was actually…thankful…

Sighing, Terra ran a hand through her blonde hair and wiggled her toes on the gritty floor. It was still comforting, but she thought that messing up the safe house wasn't something that she should do. After all, when was the last time this place was cleaned?

The thought didn't disturb her; she had slept in worse places.

A thought of a shower ran through her mind, and she found herself walking into the small bathroom, stripping herself of what little clothes she was left wearing, and turning the water on. The faucet spurted and made a sound like a choking animals as brown water spilled onto the plastic basin. Terra waited, watching, and the brown water soon turned clear. Sticking a hand under the steady stream, she concluded that the water was warm enough, and stepped in.

Immediately, dirt and mud and sand started flowing down the drain. Terra watched the swirling water with a blank expression. Her skin was becoming clean and smooth once more, and the debris tangled within her hair were forced out of her strands.

The steam of the shower relaxed her, let her muscles loosen. Days spent in hard beds or in a sleeping bag had tensed her up, made her sore in places that she hadn't even realized, and the shower water pounded upon her back and hips and arms, relieving all her tension. Terra poured more of the liquid soap onto her hands, spreading it around her body and scratching with her nails.

She dipped her fingers lower, coming to the thin strands of light hair between her legs.

Delicately, as if she hadn't been expecting to do it, she slid her fingers in between her thighs, and let her fingers roam around. The place where she was warm and wet almost all the time. Her eyes closed as she explored herself, her head tilted back slightly while the shower water removed the last grainy bits of sand.

With precision, she slid a single finger up inside of herself, thrusting it in and out slowly, taking herself only carefully. The shower water was to blame, or so Terra thought, as well as the aroma of the soaps. Sliding her finger back out of her, she traced it from her opening to her clit, where she made soft little circles around it.

It felt so good, and rarely had she explored her body.

Terra had had orgasms before, but they were rare. Something like a treat within the harshness that was her runaway life. But now, in this place she could call shelter, she needed to feel that once more.

It budded up within her and demanded that she look into it.

Pleasure herself.

She felt the need to establish something intimate in this shower, even if the thoughts were strange to her. As she let her fingers explore, she thought back to her friends—former friends—of Titans Tower. She remembered Beast Boy, and the silly jokes her told. She remembered Starfire, desperate to be her friend and hugs that would crush the air from her lungs. And Robin and Cyborg, who pushed her to be better, yet always offered a helping hand.

And Raven. Stoic, cold Raven.

She still seemed cold to her. Terra thought of her like a marble statue, unmoving, unseeing, unfeeling. Cold to the touch with eyes that forever cast outwards away from her, seeing something that the rest of the world couldn't. Still and quiet and observant.

Terra didn't know why, but the thought of Raven aroused her. She imagined Raven's intense eyes upon her while she masturbated, drinking in the sight of her. Terra grew hotter at that thought, and without warning her orgasm took over her body. Her legs began to shake, but she rubbed herself till the very last end of it, till she could squeeze no more pleasure from her body.

Not a lot of time had passed.

Terra shut off the shower, ceasing the pleasant stream above her head, and stepped out onto the small little rug that covered the—what was either tile or concrete—floor. White towels were folded and piled within the cupboard, and she wrapped one around herself to hide her nakedness. Rubbing the steam from the mirror, she cleared away just enough to look at herself.

Dirty wasn't the way to describe her before, but Terra did look much cleaner now. Felt cleaner as well. She indulged in the feeling; it was so wonderful to be clean.

White towel flying around her body, Terra dried herself quickly before opening the door. All the steam rushed out of the bathroom and into the main room, where all was empty. Dropping the towel to the floor, she reached for her clothes.

Among Raven's gifts to her, she had included a small package of new underwear.

Gingerly, Terra picked them up, still wrapped within their container, untouched and seemingly innocent. Clean underwear was so important, and it could make a girl feel good too, but Terra felt a blush rise to her cheeks as she though of Raven buying her panties.

There were nine in all, without daring cuts or racy fabrics. Three white cotton ones, three gray cotton ones, three black cotton ones. Terra chose the gray first, since it was right in the middle of the packaging. Soft, supple cotton hugged her skin. She shook her hips, and took a few steps around the place.

New underwear was wonderful, she concluded.

Her eyes finally caught upon a piece of red light. Glowing red numbers that read 9:05. It was late at night, for her at least, since she normally slept whenever the sun went down. Within the autumn season of Jump City, the sun was down fast, and normally she was curled up near some form of shelter, bundled up in her sleeping bag and drifting off to sleep.

Yet she didn't feel tired right now.

A feeling of ecstasy still lingered between her legs, with a warm tingling afterglow that made the world seem as a dream.

Not really knowing what else to do, she turned down the sheets of the bed and crawled into them, flicking off the small light placed upon the wall. The darkness greeted her back, and she hated it. It wasn't dark as in late at night, where she could still see the stars glowing at her, or the round face of the changing moon protecting her. It was completely pitch black.

Her hand sprung out and she clicked on the bedside light again.

Everything swam back into place with the light.

Putting a hand to her head, she thought hard. How was she to make it through the night? Sleeping this way was unnatural; underground felt like a prison suddenly, and she wanted to leave.

But Raven would be back, and if she saw that she wasn't here, she would think Terra an untrustworthy runaway once more. It was then that she realized that she was trapped. She had been trapped the whole time and she had not known it. Sure, she was free to leave, for nothing held her here, but if she wanted to remain on Raven's good side, she couldn't go anywhere.

Twisting her head around, she spied the Titans alert signal resting nearby. Terra could go somewhere else, and inform Raven of where she had gone. That would work, wouldn't it?

Terra kept debating the thoughts in her mind, wondering what she should do. She could brave it out down here, if she needed to, but she wasn't sleepy enough to brave the complete and total blackness. But that was normally an option reserved for a desperate panic or a sleep so thick and consuming she didn't even know her own name.

As she thought, the Titans device found its way into her palm. She held it in front of her, gazing down at the circular machine in her hand. It was pretty much the same as the Titans communicators, except it didn't have a T on the front, nor as many buttons. And when she tapped the screen, the blackness slid away only to be replaced by an option of three buttons.

Help!

Message.

Nevermind.

The Help! button was the biggest button out of them all, for it was a distress signal after all. Nevermind would put the machine to sleep once more. But the message button…Terra clicked on that, and a black text box swarmed up to meet her.

Pressing the small little letters below, she typed out a few lines:

'Raven, I am leaving the safe house. Will be outside.'

The words glowed back at her, and she read them again before backspacing and deleting what she had wrote. Trying again proved no better, for each time she tried she felt the raw sting of her words and felt the glare of Raven's eyes upon the back of her neck. No matter how she phrased it, no matter how she tried to justify it, she felt Raven's cold eyes bearing into her.

With a groan of defeat, she turned the machine off and slammed it down into her pillow.

Stress was bubbling up inside of her, about to spill out and burn her. The only thing she knew about how to relieve stress was the same way she'd had herself in the shower. With a mind blank and raging, she slid her hand underneath her thin panties, not bothering to remove them. Her fingers started circling her clit once more, and the intense build came even faster to her. Her fingers flew over her, and the intense burn that consumed her nerves was finally released with a groan and a pillow thrown over her head.

Coming back down, Terra felt better.

Still not well enough to sleep.

Hours ticked by as Terra's eyes fixed onto the ceiling, an orange-yellow color in the lamplight. The texture became moving patterns to her eyes, and she saw bits of colors and obscure shapes dance around upon the ceiling. She stared for the ceiling for a long time, and did not notice that she was drifting off to sleep.

Eventually, though, she nodded off, her mind finally getting some piece and her eyes finally closing.


	4. Chapter 4

Terra never thought a bright blue sky could look so beautiful.

It was relief, it was vastness, it was freedom. She spread her arms out and spun, gleefully relishing in the feeling of being outside once more. She hadn't thought she could miss it so much. The time spent in the safe house Raven had put her in seemed only like a bad dream now. A place where her mind had hallucinated a strange sense of freedom while trapped underground within four walls far too close that she never wanted to return to.

She had taken the medicine, the food, the soap, Raven's gifts and left.

Now, as she spun around under the open sky, she believed that she had never felt happier.

"Enjoying yourself?" Raven asked.

Terra stopped spinning and put her arms down, although the smile that stretched wide across her face remained.

"Of course I'm enjoying myself! You don't know how much I've missed this!"

"You'd be surprised," Raven replied, sighing softly.

Being an empath burdened her so often. Though Raven wouldn't change it, for it secured her place team. Along with being a crucial part of her identity. Raven once had a nightmare, about losing her powers forever and being forced into a normal life, unable to remember her friends and all her memories gone. She shuddered, despite the warm breeze.

"Hey, look!" Terra said suddenly. "We can see Titans Tower from here!" She pointed across the rocky outcroppings of the earth and the wide expanse of sea to the giant **T** that stood in the middle of the bay.

"I know," Raven told her. "That's one of the reasons I chose this place."

"Well, it's a great place." Terra jumped up onto one of the large boulders that stood tall off the ground. One of the many in the canyon-like maze of stone and gravel around them. "I mean, look at all this!" She spread her arms wide once more.

For miles, all Terra could see was dry earth and vegetation, open sky, stone, and never-ending ocean. Nothing else around for miles, and she loved that more than anything. Once more, she felt freedom and relief in the vastness around her. Hundreds of miles and a hundred more, shrinking her into a speck of sand within the cosmos of nature. She could go anywhere, hide anywhere, belong anywhere.

Her blonde hair was ruffled on the sea breezes. Her blue eyes were full of happiness and wonder. As Raven looked at her, she thought that Terra looked beautiful.

"This is so wonderful," Terra whispered, to no one but herself. Whether or not Raven had heard, she didn't care.

Raven let her stay like that for a long time, with Terra admiring the view and Raven watching her closely. She still thought she was beautiful, after the time had passed. So it hadn't been a trick of her imagination. Neither of them were counting the minutes, but after enough time had passed, Raven felt the need to remind Terra why they had come here (instead of standing below admiring her needlessly). Using her powers, she flew up to Terra on the rock, and said, "Shall we start?"

"What?" Terra asked.

She had gazed off into the distance for so long, the sound of human words sounded strange to her. What Raven had said didn't register to her, and she only looked at her blankly, waiting for her to repeat herself.

"Your lesson? The training that I'm supposed to help you with? Shall we start?" Raven asked again.

"Oh. Yeah. Sure."

Together, Raven and Terra jumped from the boulder and down onto the solid earth once more. Terra thought that she seemed oddly patient today, as Raven waited for Terra to come to her senses once more. Terra was still drunk on the sight before her, but slowly she came back to her purpose.

Out of everything Raven could've started with; moving a rock, crushing a rock, making a rock float above you, anything that basically related to her powers; she decided on this:

"What type of rock is this?" Raven asked Terra, holding up a large stone in her palm.

Terra's brow furrowed. "What does this have to do with anything?" she asked. "Like, why does it matter?" She put her hands on her hips.

"Just answer the question. What type of rock is this?" Raven asked again.

"Ummm…" Terra shook her head and shrugged her shoulders, before guessing, "Limestone?"

"Sandstone," Raven corrected.

Terra huffed out an agitated sigh and turned away from her. Fixing her gaze on the striations all around her, she pointed a gloved hand and started naming out, "Limestone, sandstone, mica, formica, shale. Need I go on?"

"You got two wrong…"

"I don't care!" she shouted, turning on her heel and glaring at Raven. She looked straight into her violet eyes, unafraid. Raven saw that Terra was challenging her, but she didn't give into it. She would not challenge her, or fight with her. She had promised to teach her, and that was what she would do. Raven remained patient, waiting for her to calm down once more. Slowly, the anger in Terra's eyes vanished, and she breathed out a sigh as her anger dissipated.

"Okay."

Again, that strange patience that she had.

Terra shrunk back, slightly off put. When her eyes no longer held confusion, Raven thought of the next thing for Terra to do. She had tried to get Terra to meditate, but that pretty much had the same effect as naming rock types had. Terra had shouted, _'No way!'_ at her and then stormed around the room. _'There is no way I'm sitting cross-legged, chanting Azatoth Mezaltoth Zinfandel, hoping that somehow I will reach enlightenment and find the secret of stone.'_

She also remembered that that had been the closest she had even seen to Raven snapping.

 _'It's Azarath Metrion Zinthos,'_ Raven had corrected her, _'and…'_

The memories faded.

"Move that rock," Raven blurted out.

Terra didn't wait, didn't even know what rock she was talking about, but turned to the nearest one and lashed out. Her bright yellow powers consumed her, illuminated her eyes and strengthening her muscles, and the closest boulder to her was sent flying into the air before becoming crushed by Terra's abilities. The gravel and powder of the once great boulder flew away on the sea breezes, scattering the dust into nothing.

"There!" Terra said.

"Impressive. But I was talking about that rock." Terra spun and saw Raven pointing at the large boulder right behind her. "Oh," Terra said, and made once again to use her powers. "But don't crush it," Raven told her, just as her eyes started glowing bright yellow once more.

The boulder behind her lifted from the ground, and into the air, where it wobbled. Terra pushed the rock away from them both, sending it back several feet, before letting it crash down onto the ground once more. Giant cracks formed in the boulder, and for a second they both thought that it would split. But it held together, amazingly, to which Terra gave Raven a smirk.

"Well?" she asked.

"Could be better."

 _Yeah, it could be,_ Terra thought. If she spent the entire day showing off to Raven, smirking and making sassy remarks, she wouldn't really get anywhere. She wanted to be able to control her powers, as well as Raven could control hers, and Raven's offer had been far too good to pass up. It was a choice between spending her whole life without real control _(a thought that frightened her more than it annoyed her)_ , training under Raven, or…

Nervous chills went through Terra's body as she thought of a single eye watching her from a distance. She shot her eyes around the canyon and the cliff and far off shoreline, searching for a vague, threatening shadow that watched her. Seeing nothing, she tried to calm herself. Raven was an empath, she figured, so if she couldn't sense anyone else around, then he isn't here.

"Try it again," Raven said to her.

Terra nodded, and focused her attention on another boulder. Yellow magic sprung out of her, and the boulder was lifted into the air. Slowly, she made it cross over the ground, straining to not break it. Once it was a considerable distance away, she set it back down onto the ground, not even making a thud. A smile crossed Terra's face as the boulder was set down in one piece, and she was able to celebrate just before streaks of blinding gold shot out from every angle and a deep rumbling sound consumed the air around them. Putting her hands to her ears, Terra watched as the boulder exploded into a million tiny pieces, gravel and dirt shooting everywhere.

Raven used her black magic to shield herself from the debris. Terra merely turned her back.

When all was said and done, and not a single remnant left of the boulder to be seen (save for some pebbles) Raven let her shield down and Terra uncovered her ears.

"Way to go."

Terra had to bite back her remark, but her emotions got the better of her, and all around Terra rocks started crumbling, debris flying around in the air as her eyes turned bright yellow once more.

"Terra!" Raven shouted. "Stop!"

"I…"

Fear suddenly consumed her.

"I can't!"

A storm of stone started swirling around them, and Raven's dark powers came to life once more, trying to shield her from the force of the rocks coming at her. With each passing moment, Terra looked more and more afraid as the storm raged around her.

"Raven," she whispered, "do something."

An orb of black covered Raven as she went up into the air. She crossed her legs inside the dome, floating up off the ground, and chanting softly. Eyes glowing white, a shadowy form of a raven launched itself from her, flying outward and undisturbed in the air, heading straight for Terra. Her glowing eyes widened in horror just before the shadowy being wrapped its dark wings around her, the essence of it seeping into her soul.

Inside, Terra felt a strange, cold calmness come over her, and a gray tint filled her vision as things began to settle. Things were starting to become blurry, and her body felt far too light. The shadowy being inside of her twisted, settling itself into the shape of her soul, circling like a cat on a tiny rug. It nestled itself there, and Terra didn't feel real anymore. She felt like she was floating in-between dimensions, beside the earth and the other worlds that humans always theorized and fantasized about.

When she did finally regain herself, it was nearing sunset.

Long shadows stretched across the coppery land as the sun drew nearer to the horizon. Fiery hues painted the sky; the once blue sky that Terra had admired what felt like only seconds ago.

"What…?"

She didn't remember what had happened.

Raven had expected as much. "You lost control," she told her. "I had to stop you."

"Stop me…?" Terra turned to the horizon and to Raven, then and back again. "How?"

"It's better that you not know," Raven said gently. Carefully, she took a step towards Terra, approaching her like one would approach a wounded wild animal. Terra didn't step back, for the only thing in her mind was regret.

So she had lost control again. Tears started to flow down her cheeks, tears that she wasn't even aware of until she saw a drop fall from her face and land upon the ground beneath her. A dark circle splashed down onto the rock, followed by another and another.

Raven put her hand on her shoulder.

"It's gonna be fine," she told her, trying to calm her. Raven knew that her words sounded hollow. They were the same generic words people always used, not really meaning anything anymore. But she didn't know what else to say. Terra needed to believe that things were going to get better, and that was all Raven could tell her. "If you have the will to practice, this won't happen again."

"Right," Terra said dully.

She didn't really believe her. Raven could sense it, the doubt and disbelief seeping from her being and touching Raven's empathic nerves. The texture of Terra's emotions wound themselves around her, gritty like wet sand, snaking along her ribcage and down her back.

Without warning, Terra threw herself into Raven's arms.

Raven stood as still as a statue for a moment, awkwardly trying to figure out how to handle this, not sure how to react to Terra hugging her like that. After her initial shock had passed, Raven wrapped her hands around Terra's back, giving a couple of pats to say, _There there._ She looked out at the horizon, waiting for Terra to break away from her.

Terra didn't intend to let go anytime soon.

Raven clenched her jaw, waiting as patiently as she could, before she didn't have any other choice but to relax into the hug. She patted Terra on her back once more, then just stood there with her arms wrapped around her, letting her seek comfort in physical contact.

The edges of the sun dipped below the sea. A streak of gold painted the blood red ocean, and the first stars were starting to appear in the deep depths of twilight above the two girls' heads. Even the sea breeze had changed, the westward wind changing eastward.

Finally, Terra let go.

Raven breathed a sigh of relief, despite everything. She understood what Terra was feeling, but she still felt awkward hugging really anyone.

 _Perhaps that will be something to meditate on,_ Raven thought.

"Sorry," Terra said, staring down at her feet.

"Don't be. Things like that can…happen…"

Raven shifted nervously on her feet, sensing that Terra was about to lean in for another hug. _This time,_ Raven thought, _I'll try to be more supportive._ She never got that chance, for Terra didn't move in for another hug, no matter how badly she wanted to. Terra turned and looked back out at the horizon, darkening evermore. Already the gold and orange had passed, replaced by pinks and purples and deep blues, stars twinkling high in the already black sky. The sea was dark teal, and Titans Tower glowed like a rainbow beacon against the splendor of the scene around them.

"You won't tell anyone you're training me, right?" Terra asked suddenly.

"If I was going to, I would have done so by now."

"Is that a no?" Terra asked her, looking from the Tower and back at Raven.

"I haven't told them, and I won't tell them," Raven told her calmly. That seemed to put her at ease. "I could sense that you didn't want me to tell." Before Terra could respond to that, Raven added, "You don't need to be an empath to know that. It's as plain as day."

Raven stepped up beside Terra, putting a sympathetic hand on her shoulder. Together, they looked back out at Titans Tower.

 _They must be wondering where I've been all day,_ Raven thought. She'd had her communicator with her all day, turned on and up on the highest alert volume that she could. If they had contacted her, telling her to come and fight with them for there was another villain on the loose, she would have effortlessly known. But it had never rang, so that had left her whole day clear. Raven doubted the other days would be like that.

"Don't you need to be heading back?" Terra whispered. Her voice sounded so small.

"No. I don't have to yet." _Plus, since I might not have this kind of time again, I need to stay here with you for as long as possible,_ she added silently.

By the time Terra's tears had stopped, it was fully dark, with the pale moon having brightened and the stars no longer dimmed by the sun. Raven still stayed with Terra for a while longer, the two of them walking alongside the cliff, where the shoreline was rough and rocky. Neither of them said anything for the longest time, for there was nothing that they wanted to talk about.

Finally, Raven had to go back to the Tower.

She was feeling all too tired, and she knew that her friends were probably worried, wondering why she hadn't returned yet. About five more minutes, and Robin would be calling her on the communicator, Raven realized.

"I have to go now," Raven told her, standing completely still.

Terra took a few more steps in front of her, as if she hadn't heard her, but eventually she turned around.

"Okay, I understand."

Raven lifted her feet off of the ground, levitating in the air and facing the Tower, before a thought occurred to her.

"Where will you sleep?" Raven asked Terra.

Terra shrugged. "Wherever I want to. I got all I need right here." Terra held up her backpack, which she had been dragging along with her all day. Usually leaving it somewhere perched on the rocks while they trained and then moving it along with her. "I got my sleeping bag, a fresh change of panties, food, medicine, toothpaste and mouthwash and all that jazz. Really, I'm fine."

She plopped the bag back down at her feet.

Raven looked her over for a minute before landing back down on the ground once more.

"Are you sure that's safe?" she asked her.

"Of course. I've done it plenty of times…and I will do it plenty more times. I'm fine. Besides, I love sleeping out under the stars." Terra remembered trying to sleep in the safe house once more, and a small grimace flashed across her face before she pushed the thought away.

"Besides…it's not like…"

Terra froze, pausing in the middle of her sentence. She wanted to say, ' _It's not like Slade will show up,'_ but she couldn't say that. Not to Raven.

"It's…it's not like I'm in any danger. I have my powers." Terra held up a hand before Raven could say anything, most likely about how she couldn't control her powers. "I've got my powers, I'm safe here, I'm sure nothing bad will happen."

With a sigh, Raven accepted what she said. She turned towards the Tower once more before Terra caught her hand, and pulled her back down to her. Raven sunk down onto the ground, as Terra held her hand and pulled her towards her.

"Thanks, Raven," she said, and kissed her on the cheek.

Raven made a face that asked, _What the hell was that for?_

"I'll be sleeping over there by those rocks with the overhang. That's usually where I have the best luck. I'll wait there, for tomorrow."

"Okay…"

As she released her hand and walked away, Raven watched Terra head towards the little shelter the rocks offered, and start to make a small camp there. She stayed for only a little while, watching her unfold her sleeping bag and take out something to drink. She took out her toothbrush and a small bottle of mouthwash, and kicked her shoes off and bundled her socks inside of them. By the time Terra started stripping off her clothes, Raven decided to leave.

Though she couldn't help but glance backwards just one last time…

* * *

 _More to come. Keep on the alert. Likes and reviews welcome._


	5. Chapter 5

"Who knew a cave could feel so good?" Terra asked herself as she settled in for the night.

She leaned back with a sigh, crossing her arms behind her head and staring up at the rough walls of the cave ceiling, flickering warmly with the light of the lantern and the turned on flashlight. There was a light, drizzling rain outside of the cave, but she was huddled deep enough in that none of the water could get to her. She didn't have to worry about the cave flooding either; she'd checked that long before hand.

Rain, the perfect sleeping weather. A soft, warm sleeping bag that she was bundled up in. Nice cave ambiance. A backpack full of essentials. Plenty of food and water.

"Yeah, life is good," Terra said to herself, closing her eyes and letting herself indulge in the contentment that she felt at that very moment. "Maybe I could even join the Titans again," Terra thought aloud. A yawn stretched across her face as she spoke.

That hope had bloomed in her, now that Raven was with her. Training her, acting as…dare she say…a friend. Maybe she could rebuild their trust; maybe she could once again join the Titans in their tower; maybe she could salvage what she had stomped into the dust and crushed beneath her heel.

But then again, maybe not.

Terra opened her eyes as she heard the low rumbling of thunder far off in the distance, as melodic as a beating drum. But with the next flash of lightning, fear coursed through her every vein and nerve. As the lightning illuminated the cave, the cave ceiling lit up brightly, except for a dark shadow stretched across her. A silhouette of someone she didn't wish to see.

Terra whipped her head around, her eyes wide with horror, her hair hanging into her face.

"Do not act so frightened," Slade said to her.

Terra tried backing away, yet was still bundled up in the sleeping bag. She thought of escape. Yet there was no way out except for the large hole in the rock that she had entered through.

Slade leaned up against the wall of the cave, crossing his arms and looking down at her. His body language didn't suggest anything threatening, but Terra felt threatened all the same. To say the least, she felt creeped out while around him. But, so far, he'd never given her any reason to be.

Not yet.

And Terra hoped it stayed that way.

But the way his offers sounded more and more like threats. The way he sometimes came far too close to her, and didn't stop until he was only an inch away from her. The way his voice crawled over her skin, the way his mind seemed to be able to read hers. Like she had no privacy, like she was broadcasting her thoughts out at full volume.

Terra tried to calm herself; to make her body relax and her heart steady.

"I've been watching you train with the demon," Slade said in an even, calm voice. "An interesting sight, to say the least, but it is clear that she hasn't any idea what she is doing."

Terra said nothing.

She knew that he was playing upon her insecurities, trying to manipulate her mind. She just didn't know how to stop it, or how to handle it. Or anything. She'd always ran away when something got too tricky for her, and now she couldn't run away. Not with him blocking the exit and trapping her here.

She thought of using her powers to fight him off, but she still didn't have the control that she needed.

"You could not fight me with the way your powers are now," Slade said to her. Again, that break into her head, that played upon what she feared. It was if he'd read her mind, and she hated it!

 _But couldn't Raven read your mind?_ said a voice inside of her.

A voice that sounded far too much like Slade's voice. _So he is invading my mind,_ Terra thought, her own mental voice coming back to her.

"Your skills are poor, your frame is weak. I offer you the chance for control, to be able to use your powers at your own will, and to no longer be afraid." He directed the single gaze of his one eye upon the young girl still cowering in the cave.

But he could tell by the distant look in her eyes that she was thinking. His words had begun to take effect on her, and he smiled beneath his mask, for that was exactly what he wanted. He knew that he could seduce her into being his apprentice, and that it wouldn't take that long.

Besides, patience wasn't exactly his strong suit.

Slade leaned up from the stone and began walking towards Terra. Fear shone in her eyes once more as he moved closer, but she did not back away. Nor did she huddle down upon the ground and cover herself in her sleeping bag in hopes that he would go away. Once in front of her, he stooped down until his face was level with hers.

The blue of her irises were thick with thought and fear. Fear of him, yet thoughtful of his words. Briefly did Slade see her flick her eyes to the side, where he noticed a Titans communicator lying within her backpack, near the zipper.

He turned his eye back to her.

"Raven has trouble controlling her powers," Slade told Terra.

Something akin to shock passed through her face. "No, that can't be true!" Terra said, sitting up. She didn't seem to be afraid anymore, and Slade wasn't sure if he should be glad of that or not.

"It is true," Slade stated.

Disbelief was still thick on her face. She refused to believe it, that someone as composed as Raven couldn't be in full control of her powers. Raven seemed to know every aspect of herself, know exactly what made her tick, knew herself inside and out. And knew how to control her powers. Surely.

"You have seen it before," Slade said to her.

He stood up again to his full height, towering over Terra. Once more the fear flashed in her face as she took in the imposing sight of him, dominating her vision.

Slade spun on his heel, and walked towards the stone walls again. He leaned up against the gray surface of the cave, looking as easy-going and composed as he could. He bordered controlling and non-controlling so well that Terra felt confused about what was really happening.

She wondered if this was what gas-lighting was; a term that she had heard so, so long ago.

"Think back," Slade said in his low, calm voice. "Think back, and you will remember that there were times when Raven lost control. I've seen those moments, too. Far too many. She is quite careless with her powers, as you may come to realize."

The cave was illuminated once more, flicking their shadows across the depths of the darkness of the cave. Then thunder, much too loud, shook the stone walls. The power of the storm.

Terra stood up, releasing herself from the sleeping bag.

Slade's eye quickly glanced down at her body. She'd prepared for bed, and she now stood in her underwear and her old, ratty shirt before him. He moved his gaze back up to her face before she could notice him looking at her.

"How can you expect to learn from someone who knows nothing?" he asked Terra.

Terra winced at his words. Slade didn't know, but he was driving a spike into her. One that would make her snap if he continued talking, one that might make her lose control. He didn't know, for all of his perception, but who was to say he wanted a specific reaction? Whatever Terra said or did or thought, Slade knew that it would prove the point he was trying to make. So what point was there in watching her eyes for a hint of anger or powerlessness?

"I have yet to see a single instance where the blind leading the blind leads to anything good," Slade continued on.

Terra's face contorted once more. The spike of his words was driving itself deeper inside of her, forcing itself to her core. It was a dangerous place, a place where her powers would know no constraints.

"Raven can train me! I have faith in her!" Terra shot back at him. She clenched her fist, but she was so weak looking that she might have stood there with her hands at her side. It had the exact same effect. But Slade had to admit, he found it endearing for her to be so defiant to him.

He flicked his eye down at her body again, and that's when Terra flinched back away from him, suddenly noticing just how exposed she was to him. Again, the eerie, cold feeling crept into her body and made her skin shiver with an unseen threat. She searched around for her shorts, but then decided against it. She would not be frightened.

"Leave," she said in the coldest voice she had. But still, it cracked with fear.

Slade stepped forward and leaned in close to her face. "Make me," he hissed.

Terra was as still as stone as she looked into his masked face.

Frozen with fear and confusion. _But why should I be?_ she thought to herself. Something bright and warm budding up within her, like flowers breaking through concrete, and her eyes began flowing a bright topaz yellow once more. Golden blonde strands arose around her face, and a near snarl found its way onto her face.

Without a word, Terra pulled large chunks of the stone from around the cave, and sent the boulders flying at Slade.

 _He is an enemy,_ she reminded herself. She kept telling herself as she hurled more and more boulders at him, all of which he dodged so easily.

A roar escaped Terra's throat as Slade crushed the boulder that flew at his face, sending the debris raining down onto the both of them. Her yellow glowing eyes grew fearful once more, but she squashed that fear down. More and more rocks at him, until he would go away. Leave her alone. Until the panic had ended.

But Terra felt herself edging beyond control once more, so she stopped. It was better to stop this way, and not have the entire cave implode on itself and kill them both.

She dropped to her knees, panting and sweating. But Slade was as composed at ever.

The cave was a mess of chunks and cracks and dirt, but it made no difference to Terra. Home was home.

If only Slade would leave.

"Please leave," Terra said to him, trying the very last resort.

"Alright," Slade said easily, and turned to leave.

Terra's head snapped up. She hadn't expected him to agree, to have him leave her alone so easily. She watched the retreating form of his back as he walked towards the exit of the cave. Rain still fell from above, and lightning illuminated catches of Slade's body once more. His entire body resembled his two-toned mask; the stark white of lighting against the black armor.

"But please. Try to remember what I've said."

Terra hung her head, shame bombarding her as she thought of what she had just done. There was no sense in anything, not in her mind. She had attacked him purely out of panic, and now she had feared she'd ruined whatever slim chance she'd had at maybe… _maybe_ …becoming his apprentice. Should all hope fail and she was beaten down to her final and only option.

"And Terra," called the snake-like voice again. She'd thought he'd gone and left her, but no. He was still there, hiding by the sides of the rock, still watching her.

Terra hardened her expression as she looked at him.

"What?" she asked.

"Try to not let your _affections_ get in the way of your common sense," he said. And with that, he finally was gone. Gone for now, hopefully gone for good.

Still shaking, Terra edged herself towards the mouth of the cave, and looked out. She twisted her head this way and that, searching for the man, but he was gone. With a sigh, Terra crawled back, into the cave once more.

Her blonde hair had become wet with the rain falling. She ran her hand through the sopping wet strands, another sigh escaping her. At least it would at some moisture to the follicles, she rationalized.

But the cave was another matter.

Terra looked around at the destruction that she had created. The once pristine and perfect cave now looked like a wreck. And she had been the one to destroy it. This cave was her temporary home, and she had wrecked it. Ruined it.

 _Just like all my other homes,_ she thought. Her hands clamped to her head.

 _Maybe it's still livable, T_ erra thought, forcing a spark of hope into her head. But as she looked around, that spark was doused before it even had a chance to ignite. The ceiling was the biggest indication of that. Dangerous, deep cracks were formed all along the ceiling, and Terra didn't really want to risk sleeping underneath loose rocks.

But still, it was raining outside. Sleeping in the rain didn't much appeal to her either.

Her eyes wandered back to her bag, where the communicator stuck halfway out of the bag. Still resting on the zipper, seemingly undisturbed.

Pushing herself up to her feet, Terra walked towards her small campsite. Her things had been tossed around with her recent attack on Slade, but for the most part it was all unharmed. Not even the sleeping bag had gravel on it. A bit of powder, falling from the cracks above, but that was all. Terra reached down and closed her fingers around the device.

Trying to decide to pick it up or not.

She did, in the end.

Two taps to the screen and it flashed into life once more. The computerized starkness of the screen clashed with the natural settings all around her, and Terra winced. She turned the screen away from her face while she squinted, trying to get used to the blue light and digital face.

The desire to dial Raven and have her here was strong within her.

But how was she to explain all this?

Any of it?

The mere mention of Slade's name would destroy any and all trust that she had ever hoped to rebuild with her. With Raven, and with the Titans as a whole. They hated Slade, all of them. And here she was, speaking to him as if he could save her from herself.

She tapped the screen once more, clicking on the multiple lines that the device had. She noticed that the primary line was public, to any and all Titans who happened to have a communicator with them. After that, the selections were more specific.

 **\- Titans.**

 **\- Honorary Titans.**

And then very specific names and profiles came up. She came upon the digital image of Raven, staring back at her from the monitor. In her picture, she was just as stoic looking as she had been the first time Terra had seen her.

 _All I have to do is call,_ Terra thought. Her thumb hovered, and sweat broke out on her skin. A cold, nervous sweat made worse by the chill of the breeze. A breeze that shouldn't be inside the cave, not this deep in, but Terra had wrecked so much.

A large, splintering sound of giving rock made Terra panic. She pressed down and called Raven right then and there, hoping against hope that this would all work out fine in the end.

The communicator flashed red in her hand as it made the contact.

Terra could only wait.

Not knowing what else to do.


	6. Chapter 6

Raven awoke to the shrill alarm of her communicator going off.

She winced as it pierced through her sleep and ripped apart her dreams, and seemed to drill the unpleasant noise straight into her brain. She rolled over a few times, hands clutched to her ears, before realizing what it was.

Her eyes flew open to see the glaring red flashes coming from the yellow device placed on her nightstand, the shrieks in time with the patterned flashing lights.

Raven grabbed the communicator in a hurry, fumbling with sleep-crusted eyes to see who it was and what the hell was going on. She kept pressing the **RESPOND** button, but her fingers were clumsy. Finally, she pressed it down directly in the center, and she heard the panicked sound of Terra's voice on the other end.

"Terra?" she asked sleepily.

Raven put a hand to her forehead. Waking up in the middle of the night wasn't something she was fond of, and a headache was pounding against her skull from the shrill shrieks of the alarm.

"Terra? Slow down, I can't…I don't understand…"

On the other end, all she heard was a frightened babble of words that all strung together into pure nonsense. Thinking the worst might have happened, Raven threw on her cloak using her magic to do so, clasped it around her softened, black uniform used for sleeping, and stepped out through the window in a haze of black.

She'd forgotten her shoes in her haste, but it was still a fairly warm night, despite the drizzle and the occasional chilled wind that whipped across the wet town.

"Terra, please, I can't understand you…" Raven said again.

 _What the hell is going on?_ Raven thought to herself.

Arriving at the scene did nothing to answer her questions. She merely stood there, watching Terra collect her things in a destroyed cave while she babbled on and on about…something. Raven couldn't tell what, but from her empathic powers she gathered that she had felt threatened. By some _one_ , most likely.

"Terra, stop!" Raven said at last, quieting the blonde girl. "I don't understand a word you're saying."

Terra sighed, and that breath seemed to deflate her entire body. She slumped down, the bag dropping from her limp arm, and she sat back down on the ground, her eyes unfocused. Raven watched her curiously, as if she could gleam from her demeanor just what had transpired. But so far, she got nothing. Not a single hint.

All she could gather was a threat and then Terra had destroyed the cave. The destruction was the only thing she was certain of.

"Sorry," Terra said at last.

Raven looked down at her. She was tempted to ask her exactly what she was sorry about, but decided against it. She wasn't here to play twenty questions with Terra; she was here to _help_ her. And Raven knew from her own experience that although someone might want help, they didn't want to give too much of themselves away.

Now it was her turn to sigh.

"You don't want to sleep in the cave?" Raven asked her, just to be sure.

"I will if I need to," Terra replied. Raven only shook her head; that was not a direct answer. But, she supposed, one she could work with.

"Where else to you propose to sleep?" Raven questioned again.

Terra shrugged her shoulders and made an 'I don't know' sound.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?" Raven asked, wondering if Terra might let on a little bit. Of exactly what the problem was, and what had spooked her so much as to nearly destroy her home. Terra shook her head, no. She didn't want to talk.

Not only had Slade scared her, but admitting his name to Raven…

She shook her head.

"Okay," Raven said to her, her voice become soft and quiet, "I understand."

Terra gave a sigh of relief, and her body slumped in relaxation instead of defeat. Her eyes closed as she felt the temporary peace slide over her.

Raven walked over to her front, and sat down upon the ground in front of her. She rested her palms, open, on her knees, taking a meditative position in front of her. Raven saw the ease on Terra's body, as well as feeling the waves of emotion that radiated from her. It didn't make her sick, to which she was grateful. This was just one person, after all.

Terra remained like that for a long time.

When she finally did open her eyes, it was because Raven had put a hand upon her bare knee.

Terra wanted to ask a question, but she didn't know what to ask. She only looked down at Raven's hand, up at her face with a quizzical expression, and then back down at Raven's hand and her knee.

Yet Raven didn't answer her silent question.

Her face remained stoic…yet somehow soft…as her hand rested upon Terra's knee. Terra un-clutched her arms from around her legs, and let them cross the same way Raven's were. Her position mirrored hers upon the cave floor, and Terra had the sudden, inexplicable urge to laugh.

 _What even was this?_

 _Why was this?_

"You are humored?" Now it was Raven's turn to be confused, with a puzzled expression written in her own eyes.

Terra shook her head, no. But she couldn't hide it from Raven; she knew. Damned empathic powers; she knew. But she didn't judge; she knew what Terra was going through, with her struggle of being alone with uncontrollable powers. Like before, a wave of sympathy rose up within Raven's chest, and she found herself identifying with the girl sitting before her.

Terra couldn't stand the quiet anymore. The silence around them was eating away at her, nibbling at her skin.

"Do you think the cave is livable?" she blurted out.

"Hmmm…" Raven let out a quiet hum as she thought. Her indigo eyes roamed around the cave, taking in the broken chunks and deep cracks and any potential threats from the weak spots. "Perhaps," Raven said at last, and stood back up.

She held her hand out in front of her. Her eyes began to glow a bright white, and an orb of spiritual black power consumed her hand. The beam of dark energy ensnared a large chunk of stone that lay near Terra's former campsite, and she lifted it up into the air and pushed it far, far back into the darkness of the cave.

Terra watched as Raven cleared the cave.

So calm and in control. Slade's words came back to her mind, about how Raven sometimes had trouble controlling her own powers, and that she wasn't fit to teach anything about control. She just couldn't see it; not now with Raven expertly cleaning out the rubble. Envy rose up in Terra as she witnessed Raven's composed manner, and she almost wished that it were true.

A sudden desire to see Raven slip up, just once, seized her mind.

 _She is an empath… T_ erra thought, the wheels in her head turning.

Focusing all her energy on a surge of emotions, she let the emotions overwhelm her, and forced them out of her (or she thought so anyway), towards Raven. Waiting to see if she responded. She got what she wanted when she saw Raven waver, her powers faltering and a hand flying to her head. But still, Raven didn't lose control.

"Stop that," Raven told her.

Terra did, mildly disappointed that she hadn't seen Raven crack.

Raven turned back to her with a huff, and an exasperated look worn on her face. She made her way back to where Terra sat, and crossed her legs as she took seat before her. Neither of them said anything, but listened to the rain instead. It was calm, enough to calm to two girls who sat alone in the cave. Soothed Raven's headache and annoyance, and Terra's panic and envy. It had a melodic effect on them both, to the point where a small smile came to each of them.

Raven reached her hand out once more, and set it upon Terra's knee.

Terra placed her hand over Raven's, and gingerly wrapped her fingers around her palm.

She didn't pull away.

"Thanks for coming," Terra said in a voice just above a whisper.

"Mmhm," Raven hummed back.

Raven had been looking down at their hands, being held together on Terra's knee, but she looked back up to Terra, into her face. She could read her emotions on her face (a far better way to read emotions in her opinion) and she gazed into the blue of Terra's eyes. Shyness was taking over her, for some reason.

Raven didn't have to be curious for long, for she could feel the radiant emotion of attraction seeping through the air between them, lingering upon Raven's skin and drifting inside of her lungs.

The only thought in Raven's mind upon that realization: _Huh._

"Terra…?" Raven asked, a question vanishing on her lips.

There was no question. As Terra's name was spoken, Raven felt another surge of attraction rise up with Terra, pushing its way out of her soul and straight into her own. It made Raven slightly dizzy, but she didn't let it show. She was used to dealing with these kinds of things. Terra wouldn't break her, wouldn't run her out. If a thousand people surrounding her while grieving couldn't bring her down, Terra's sudden arousal couldn't either.

When Raven began to feel the same arousal stirring in her, making her blood rush downwards, she decided it was time to leave.

"Wait!" Terra called after her, springing up. "What about me? What about this cave? What am I supposed to do?" she kept asking. Raven steeled herself to face Terra.

"I cleaned up most of the debris. Besides, the cracks aren't major, no matter how threatening they may look. You're fine to sleep here," Raven said curtly, turning once more to storm out of the cave and into the storm beyond the stone. Back into her own room, in her Tower, in her bed under her sheets. Where she could get some peace and quiet and well-needed rest, away from another hazard to her empathic powers.

Already she was pulling her hood up over her head, casting the shadow over her eyes.

Terra ran to block her.

Raven's eyes widened and her jaw set. "You mean to keep me here?" she asked. Raven knew she couldn't; if she wanted to leave, she could very very easily. She could fly, could seep through walls, could physically move her out of the way with a flick of her wrist. But nothing so extreme yet.

"You didn't solve anything!" Terra said to her, planting her feet into the rock.

"I'm not here to solve your problems. I'm here because you signaled an emergency. I don't see an emergency," Raven replied, a hot boiling feeling in her veins. She swept her hand back around the cave. "It's livable. You're safe. Sound. Unharmed. You like living in caves; you can live in this cave. Problem solved. Now get out of my way."

"No." Terra's voice was low and threatening.

Raven didn't think she was threatening at all.

She was a young girl in a cave who'd been frightened enough to call for help. She was a loner who didn't know how to use her powers to her advantage. She was inexperienced and easy to scare. She wasn't threatening, to Raven or to anyone else. Which only made the possibility of her trying to scare Raven even more laughable.

"Raven, please," Terra said, suddenly aware of herself. Being around an empath can do that. "Please. Stay here just for a little while longer. I…I don't want to be alone right now. Your company…would…would mean a lot to me."

Raven calmed when she did. Being an empath can do that.

"Terra. I have responsibilities. I have a team. I can't just stay around here and hold your hand until you fall asleep." She sounded like she was speaking to a child, and that made Terra furious. The anger rose up within her once more, hot and raw, and Raven stumbled back.

"I don't _want_ you here; I _need_ you here! I almost…I could have…someone…"

What the hell could she say? How could she ever make her understand? Just go ahead, say his name. And lose her entire friendship with the team as well. Fall into his well set trap that he'd planned out months in advance.

"Someone tried to hurt me," Terra admitted at last. Her voice dropped into an even monotone, and she hung her head. "I didn't want that happening again," Terra finished. There. She had said everything that she could have said. Now to wait, see how Raven would reaction.

But Raven didn't react.

She stood there, judging her words. Trying to see whether Terra was telling the truth…trying to see how big a threat she was under.

"I understand that," Raven said at last, her own voice a monotone as well. "I'll stay with you."

"Really?" Terra said, a ray of hope rising up within her. A ray that Raven felt as well. Like it was bursting through the haze of emotions between them. Raven looked towards the ground.

"That…you mean it? That means a lot," Terra began to ramble.

Raven watched as she went back to her bag of things and began to unpack for the night. She kept babbling, saying this and that and thanking her again as she set up her campsite around herself. Unrolling her sleeping bag was the first thing she did, as well as peeling off her shorts. Raven looked down at her legs. She noticed scratches and bruises upon them, but she said not a word.

"You gonna come sit?" Terra asked Raven, after she had bundled herself up into her sleeping bag.

Raven did as she bid, and went over to sit next to her. After a while, she decided that she didn't like sitting upright, so she laid down on the hard, cool stone of the cave. Her cloak shielded her from the strict cold of the stone, and the harshness of its unforgiving, hard surface.

But she wasn't _uncomfortable_.

She'd slept in worse places than this.

Far worse places.

Places she didn't even want to think about, lest they make chills run up and down her spine. Or make her gag with disgust.

"Don't say anything," Raven said, just as she heard Terra's intake of breath.

Terra closed her mouth, having been shut down so quickly. She hadn't even said what she had been planning on saying, not even gotten a single syllable out. But this time, she managed her anger. It was as small as a thimble within her chest, though it burned hot and heavy like a piece of coal. Raven could feel it like a pressure upon her chest; a heated bullet sinking into ice.

Terra took another intake of breath, determined to say what was one her mind.

"How are the rest of the Titans?" she asked Raven

Raven heaved a heavy sigh, as if answering would consume all the energy that she had left. "They're doing good," she replied automatically, not caring to think about the accuracy of the answer.

"Is Beast Boy still mad at me?" she asked.

"He was never mad at you," Raven replied. She'd said that how many times?

"What about you?" Terra asked, turning to look at Raven.

She laid on her back with her eyes closed. And, Terra noticed, she was now floating two inches up off the ground. Apparently the ground was too hard for her to rest on.

"What about me?" Raven asked.

"You know, you don't have to sleep on the rocks," Terra said, glancing at the gap between Raven's back and the cave floor. "I don't have another sleeping bag, but I've got some more blankets, I think. And if you wad one up, you can make a pillow out of them. I think…"

Terra crawled out from her sleeping bag and crawled towards the open backpack that laid near her feet. Raven opened her eyes to watch. Terra was on her knees as she searched through the backpack, and she had on only her panties and T-shirt. Raven let her eyes linger on the gray cotton of her panties, slightly sheer from the stretch on the elasticated fabric, before letting her eyes travel down Terra's thighs.

Raven remembered the attraction she had felt in Terra minutes earlier.

And now, she _thought_ she felt the same thing back.

An attraction. An arousal. As she stared at Terra's backside as she searched through her heavy backpack for the extra blankets she claimed she had with her, Raven suddenly wasn't thinking of blankets, or of sleeping alone.

Her thoughts were drifting towards…

She shook her head, bringing on a slight spinning headache, which banished all thoughts from her mind.

"Here!" Terra said, pulling a thick brown blanket from her backpack. It as folded neatly, tightly, so as to take up as little space as possible. Raven's eyes were still focused down towards the fabric around Terra's legs as she unfolded the blanket and gave it to her.

"Thanks," Raven said, a bit too curtly, as she took the blanket from her.

"Something wrong?" Terra asked her, absent-minded as she crawled back into her sleeping bag. Once more, Raven's eyes went to the stretch of her thighs, watching with deep interest as the muscles underneath the skin flexed.

"No."

"Then, goodnight," Terra said, and clicked the flashlight off.

The sudden darkness surrounded them, and Raven felt at peace once more. Cleansed, even. The darkness did that to her. And she loved it.

Now, the darkness offered something more.

With the chill of the rain and the wind and the howling that was in their ears, Raven found herself shifting closer to Terra, until her arms were wrapped around her thin frame, sleeping bag and all, and she was pressing their bodies together.

To…get warm.


	7. Chapter 7

Raven felt a strange sense of guilt mixed with satisfaction mixed with happiness. She knew she would have to leave Terra alone soon, and go back to the Tower before the sun rose in the sky and the rest of her teammates noticed that she was gone. Raven thought of making up an excuse, like a late night visit to an apothecary shop or something of that nature…

She moaned as she stretched, and looked over at Terra. Her face was flushed with giddiness, and a small smile was on her face as she slept. A smile of Raven's own graced her face as she saw Terra sleeping beside her; her clothes were thrown beside her as the night had worn on and she had fought to get comfortable. Raven was vaguely aware of her own pajamas that were worn and loose around her form; her arms out of their sleeves and the neckline just barely covering her breasts.

Raven watched Terra for a time as she slept soundly.

Whatever fear she'd had when Raven had first come to her last night was well beyond gone. For now at least. Raven hoped that it wouldn't come back; she couldn't keep running back to her at the every beck and call. She sighed and shifted, disturbing Terra in her sleep.

Terra moaned and mumbled something, her muscles slightly twitching and her eyelids fluttering. Raven waited for her to finally open her eyes and acknowledge that they were together. At least that way, Raven would be able to say goodbye to her.

Terra didn't, though.

Her moans and twitching stopped and she was at peace again. Raven sighed and looked up at the ceiling of the cave. The sun still hasn't risen yet, and she guessed it wouldn't for another hour or so.

 _Should be plenty of time to get back to the Tower,_ Raven thought to herself.

Terra shifted closer to Raven in her sleep, and Raven found that she didn't mind. Welcomed it, in fact. Terra's hands reached forward to touch Raven's open palms, and then a second later the rest of her body followed. Her dirty blonde hair scrunched up beneath her head, and some of the sand got caught in the strands. Sleep sand was crusted over her eyes, and a thin sheen of sweat was coated to the inside of her sleeping bag.

"Terra," Raven whispered, tapping her on her arm.

Terra didn't even stir.

Raven tapped her again, more forceful this time. "Terra," she said as she hit her arm, "Terra. Terra?"

Terra stirred again, a small groan and her eyes twitching. Finally, the sleep sand broke and she opened up her eyes.

It was still dark out, and the cave was quiet. In the lightening darkness, Terra could see Raven laying next to her on her side, her clothes disheveled and looking straight at her. Raven still held onto her arm.

"Hey," Terra said when she remembered to talk. She yawned and stretched, then closed her eyes again, shifting in the sleeping bag as if she planned on going back to sleep. Raven put her hand on her and shook her back awake. Terra opened her eyes again, repeating, "Hey."

"I'm going to have to go," Raven told her.

Terra only said, "Okay." If she hadn't been so sleepy, she would have shrugged.

"Are you going to be okay here alone?" Raven asked Terra.

"Yeah," Terra replied. "I'm gonna be fine. Trust me."

Raven remained silent for a long time, doing nothing more than laying next to her, watching her with a blank stare and becoming lost in her own thoughts. Terra still held onto her, her hands clasped around Raven's own. Raven didn't even think about it until she tried to pull away and Terra's grip on her tightened.

"Terra…"

Terra didn't reply. Maybe she had already fallen back asleep, but Raven thought not. She could still feel the buzz of consciousness stirring in her emotions, and though she was still deep in between those two thin lines of consciousness and unconsciousness that created sleep, Raven knew she was awake. Just enough for her to know what she was doing. When Raven tried to pull her hands away again, Terra's grip tightened even more.

"Terra," Raven repeated. "I know you're awake."

No reply.

Raven sighed.

She sat up suddenly, and Terra was finally forced to release her grip on Raven's arms. When Raven sat up, Terra opened her eyes again and turned over onto her back to look at her. Raven didn't look at Terra, but right at the rocky ground in front of her instead. She could feel Terra's eyes on her, though, and reluctance bubbling under the calm exterior. Disappointment, too.

"Upset that I'll be leaving?" Raven asked, finally looking into Terra's blue eyes. There was a slight smirk on her face, though Raven didn't realize it.

"No," Terra said.

"Something tells me differently," Raven said, arching an eyebrow.

Terra leaned up in her sleeping bag, propping herself back on her elbows. Some of the sand grains left her hair as she sat up, and fresh air hit her skin. It made Terra wake up fully. She slowly started edging her way out of the sleeping bag, the cold morning air kissing her sweat-coated skin and chilling her. Just the way she liked to be woken up.

"Well…you're wrong," Terra said. Though, she knew, she wasn't fooling Raven. She could tell by the look on Raven's face.

"Thanks for last night…"

They both looked away and blushed at that.

The silence between them turned from peaceful to awkward. Not what pre-dawn silence should be. Raven was desperate to get rid of it, to return to the sleepy quiet that they'd shared just a few minutes earlier.

"So…um…" She looked around for her cloak. "Will you be okay on your own today?"

"Yeah," Terra answered, "I should be fine."

"Great," Raven returned awkwardly. She finally spotted her cloak, rolled up and bundled in Terra's clean clothes and toiletries. She grabbed it and pulled it around herself, not bothering to put her arms back into her sleeves. It shielded her from the chill in the air, a little bit, but she didn't make any move to pull it tighter around herself.

"So…no talk about last night?" Terra asked Raven, just when the quiet was about to settle over them again.

Raven shook her head, no, but her lips said, "If you want to."

Terra crawled out of her sleeping bag and sat cross-legged on top of it. She looked at Raven intently before asking her question. "Did it mean anything?"

"Mean anything?" Raven repeated.

"Yeah," Terra said, shifting closer to Raven.

When Terra was close enough, she reached out and put a hand on Raven's bare knee. Raven glanced down at it before flicking her eyes away. She tried focusing on rocks on the wall, or a certain dark spot, but in the end she just decided to let it land on the shirt that Terra had slept in. Eventually, Raven let her eyes travel back up to Terra's face.

"Yeah, I mean, I've always heard that it was supposed to be really special…"

Her voice dropped down to a whisper and she blushed, hugging her knees to her chest. "And that it's supposed to be like angels singing and you're crying because it's all so emotional and everything…"

"…Well, clearly it wasn't," Raven said.

Terra sighed and nodded.

"…Were…were you hoping…it'd be like that?" Raven tried asking.

"I dunno," Terra said, releasing her knees and sitting cross-legged once more. "I never did like the thought of crying during…well, that."

Terra closed her eyes and let her memories take her back to the night before.

Raven had been with her for about half an hour and her muscles were becoming sore from laying on the hard rock, and Terra had wished that she had room in her sleeping bag for Raven to lay in, if only to make her comfortable. She had used her cloak as both a blanket and something soft to lay on, but it was still not enough. So Raven had shifted closer to Terra, craving that softness. And Terra wanted her closer. Terra assumed Raven had empathically picked up on that want, and she moved closer when she realized she was welcome.

Terra distinctly remembered the sigh that escaped her lips when Raven was close enough to her. When she could breathe in her scent, and feel her body pressing closer to hers between the sleeping bag. As time wore on, Raven's arm draped over Terra's body, and she felt a certain sense of comfort. Of being protected. She'd felt warm inside, and a feeling of…something akin to trust…blooming inside of her.

Now, as Terra looked at Raven, she felt that same emotion inside of her.

Terra leaned forward, wanting to be close to Raven again. Raven didn't move away from her, even when Terra came close to her face. She only sat there, less-stoic than Terra came to expect, and she thought about placing a kiss to her lips. Only, she hesitated, and Raven seized the moment. Leaning forward, Raven placed a quick kiss against her lips that lingered despite the speed.

"Either way," Terra said, "I enjoyed it. I mean, well—" she rubbed her arm, "—it wasn't like in dreams or movies on any of that. But I don't think I'd have it any other way." Terra's face turned bright red; that was not what she wanted to say. She wanted to be smoother, speak as if she didn't care and that this was so easy for her. Only it wasn't.

She closed her eyes and let her memories take her back, again, to last night.

The feeling of Raven's breath against her skin, against her hair. Terra shifted closer to Raven, wanting that same warmth and comfort to be returned. Raven seemed to relax when Terra returned her advances. Terra shyly had reached out and put a hand over Raven's, causing Raven to open her eyes. Even in the dark of night she could see a faint blush on Terra's skin, but she said nothing of it. Terra's eyes were closed, and the quiet was too serene to break.

After a minute had passed, Terra began to make slow strokes across Raven's palm.

She couldn't remember exactly, but she could have sworn at the time that Raven's breathing pattern changed. And she had taken that as a sign of something…else. So she had continued to stroke Raven's hand, and Raven liked it.

It was comfort, it was softness, it was soothing…

It was intimate.

Raven's thumb had began to stroke her hand in return. A smile quirked on her face.

And then Raven's hand traveled up, up her arm, resting on her elbow and bicep for a time before moving up towards Terra's cheek. Terra leaned into her touch as Raven make slow back and forth motions across her cheek, and a sudden urge to cry came to her. Only because she was so happy, and so…

What?

Terra couldn't remember. She was happy, she remembered that much, but also...nervous? Excited? Self-conscious?

Looking back on it, Terra saw that she had sensed what was about to come, and she was most likely nervous about that. But more than anything, in that moment she had been happy. She wasn't alone in a cave, just like she wasn't alone now.

She had let someone in with her, spent the night, shared a part of her world…

Terra leaned in for another kiss, and Raven returned it.

Terra brought her hand up to Raven's cheek and gave it a few strokes. Her eyes closed when she kissed Raven, and even when the kiss ended but still lingered on their lips, she kept her eyes closed. Terra absent-mindedly gave a few more strokes to Raven's cheek, smiling only to herself, before she finally opened her eyes again.

She remembered that when she had pressed up to Raven—for comfort, warmth, security…whatever it was—her hands had eventually strayed to Raven's cheek back then, too. Raven's eyes had fluttered open that night, when she and Terra were in the cave. Terra had touched her cheek, giving soft strokes to her soft skin.

Any minute Terra thought that Raven would stop her. To smack her hand away or give her some biting remark or just glare at her…but she hadn't. Maybe she was too tired…

 _Or maybe…_ Terra thought, a small bubble of pride rising within her… Maybe Raven had liked her touch.

 _Someone as creepy as her probably doesn't get touched very often,_ Terra though. Then immediately she felt stinging guilt for thinking such a thing. Raven was…well, she wasn't her friend. She didn't think so. Probably not even an acquaintance. But still, she shouldn't have called Raven creepy. Not even in her head.

"Terra…"

Terra blinked once, twice.

She finally registered that Raven had called her, making her focus back on the present. Raven's face swam up to meet her when she finally snapped back to reality.

"Sorry," Terra said, "I was just…thinking…"

 _About last night?_ Raven wanted to ask.

Images…thoughts…touches…all different memories that were cluttered in her head as she recalled what had happened just past midnight. The feel of cotton panties, her hands cupping unfamiliar breasts, the snap of Terra's waistband when she pulled her fingers away from the fabric that just barely covered her up.

…and dry lips that had been bitten far too much.

Raven remembered that more than she would have liked to.

Terra's body was starting to cast a shadow. It was slight, but Raven noticed it as it slowly crept along the cave floor, across the sleeping bag and the mess from Terra's backpack. It was getting early, and Raven needed to head back. She took a few deep breaths, preparing herself to finally get up and leave. But she sat cross-legged on the cave floor, wrapped up in her cloak and sitting close to Terra, putting it off for longer and longer.

The shadows continued to darken as the sky lightened.

Raven finally stood, causing Terra to jump up with her.

"I need to go," Raven stated.

She turned towards the mouth of the cave, but only glancing Terra over once. Her rumpled top that she'd tried to put on and then pull off and then put on again, and her panties that Raven had touched far too much last night. Raven thought that if she'd looked close enough, she might have been able to see indentions from her fingers, and the smallest stain of wetness from Terra's arousal.

Raven bundled her cloak tightly around herself as she walked towards the mouth of the cave.

Her eyes were focused up towards the sky, watching as the dark navy blue turned to a purple and then a pale yellow, the colors bleeding upwards from the horizon. Looking up, she watched the stars slowly fade. She named a couple of the constellations just before they could disappear.

The breeze was cool against her legs.

Raven then remembered to tuck her arms back into her sleeves, attempting to keep herself warm. Of course, she had to open her cloak up to get her arms back in. The slight morning breezes caught the edges of her cloak and blew it open, exposing her to the air. When her arms were tucked back inside the soft black fabric, she pulled her cloak closed.

Little did she know that someone else had seen it.

Had let their eyes drink in the sight, if only momentarily, before shrugging it off.

Terra walked up behind her. Raven heard her approaching, her footsteps light up against the rock floor. She put a single hand on Raven's shoulder, and Raven spun around to face her.

"Well, see you soon," Terra said, giving her a sheepish smile.

"Yeah," Raven said, pulling the hood of her cloak up.

"Raven?" Terra said, right before Raven could fly away, back to her room in the Tower. "You will come back today, right?" Terra held her breath in the silence, waiting for Raven to respond.

"I might," Raven said at last.

She paused.

"Besides, you should be fine on your own. You've been on your own for how long?"

Terra didn't answer her question. She only darted her eyes down at her feet and picked at one of her nails.

"I'm assuming you can handle yourself. Just don't get too emotional and you should be fine."

And with that, Raven flew off. Back towards Titans' Tower, a speck in the sky that grew smaller and smaller. Terra watched her go, eyeing her form as it shrunk and then disappeared entirely. She wrapped her arms around herself, in a feeble attempt to keep herself warm. Goosebumps appeared on her skin…

…but she had the feeling it wasn't just because of the cold.

Terra looked around the rocky landscape, searching for a large, hulking figure that she knew too well. She stood there for a few moments, scanning the rocks and stone pillars and sloping grounds and cliff walls… She saw nothing, but that didn't stop the suspicion from eating at her. When she had finally contented herself that no one was watching, she turned and went back into the cave.

Terra planned on getting a few more hours rest, but it wasn't the same without Raven.

She felt exposed, vulnerable, though she knew she shouldn't be.

She'd spent plenty of nights alone. And she was more than capable of defending herself. Eventually, as she curled back into her sleeping back, she starting craving Raven's presence again. Terra missed her, and she wasn't afraid to admit that to herself.

Terra wrapped her arms around herself, and let herself dream the memories she had of last night.

Skin…gray cotton…soft whispers…and quick, nimble fingers.


	8. Chapter 8

Terra awoke from pleasant dreams a few hours later. The sun was high in the sky, but not yet at its peak. So it was before noon, she surmised. She wiggled out of her sleeping bag and yawned, stretching her arms and craning her back. Raven came to her mind then; Terra imagined the Titans Tower, and what Raven would be doing in it. Probably being able to take a shower, have food hot out of a microwave…that sort of thing. Rest on a soft couch and listen to her friends talk. It did seem nice…why hadn't she stayed at the tower?

Oh. Right. Because she was scared that they had learned the truth: that she had no control over her powers and that her closest secret had been revealed so casually. She'd felt so betrayed then; even the memory of it caused her skin to prickle.

'Raven can't control her powers… '

Slade's voice rang in her head. She tried to block it out; he would not ruin this for her. She could learn to control her powers with Raven's help, and nobody's but her help. She didn't need Slade. She never wanted to see him again. She wanted to see Raven.

She thought more about her…about her life in the tower. Fresh food. Friends. A sofa. Being able to shower every day. Terra liked that thought in particular. She ran her hand over her blonde hair, feeling the small pieces of grit that had tangled itself into her locks. She thought about shampoo, of water cascading down her body, wiping away the dirt, of scented soaps…

She thought of Raven, too.

She thought of stepping into the shower with her, watching droplets trickle down her back, watch her sweep her soaked violet hair back. She imagined the curve of her spine, her gray skin slightly pink from the heat. White lather scrubbed onto her shoulder, and then trickling down her back, all the way down to her rear, and then slowly making its way down her thigh.

Terra rested her head on her hand, her thoughts making her blissful.

Raven would run her fingers through her violet hair, the sweet smelling shampoo wafting through the humid air, and Terra imagined touching the nape of her neck. She imagined feeling the bones of the spine as she ran her knuckles down Raven's back, down all the way to her crack and then back up to the nape of her neck.

Heat pooled between Terra's legs. She rubbed her cheek with her thumb, thinking. She was lost in her thoughts, not seeing the world around her, or the shadow that crossed the floor.

Raven would let out a soft moan as Terra rubbed her back, and Terra would take a step closer. The water would spray in her face, but she didn't care. She'd look down, let her lids hood her eyes, and watch the soapy water swirl around their feet. She'd watch the water run down Raven's backside, watch as the lather streamed down in thin white streaks. She'd put her hands on Raven's shoulders, and feel the tension there.

"Why are you always so damned tense?" she might ask her. Then again, maybe not.

And then, Terra thought, Raven would say something that didn't really answer her question. Something about mystics or magic or just the power of emotions. Something like that. Meditation and yoga can only work so well…blah blah blah.

Terra thought, she wouldn't talk so much, because she would put the tips of her fingers to Raven's lips. Raven would kiss them gently, softly, and Terra wouldn't be able to tell because of the heat of the water masking the heat of her body. Raven might take the tip of Terra's finger into her mouth, suck on it softly, flick her tongue against the pad and then kiss it.

Terra had to fight the urge to shift her panties to the side and stick her hand between her legs.

Raven would spin around to face her, and then tilt her head back to rinse the lather from her hair. Her eyes would close so water wouldn't hurt them, and Terra would be able to see her neck completely exposed to her. She would see Raven's lips slightly parted, and water cascading down her neck, down her breasts, before dripping on her own hands. Her hands that would come up, and rest on Raven's hips.

Perhaps Raven would smile…but maybe not.

Terra's thighs shifted apart as she continued with the daydream. She knew that she should be getting ready for the day. Getting dressed, brushing her teeth, combing her hair…all that. But she was too focused right then and there. To hell with that, she thought, thinking herself rebellious. I'll do that later…but right now

Terra touched the front of her panties and found that they were wet. It surprised her, but she recovered quickly. It was wet and slick with fluid between her legs, the wetness making her panties dark. It was only a small spot, but as Terra rubbed it, the slickness started to coat more of the fabric.

Terra's hands would come up to Raven's ribs, where she would slide her thumbs against Raven's skin, feel the smoothness of a bone before making her way up to Raven's breasts.

She remembered them from last night, but only by their feeling. Terra tried to imagine what they would look like in actual lighting, instead of just what they looked like in covered in darkness, using only her night vision to make out the soft curves and stiff nipples.

Terra knew they would be soft, smooth, supple. She knew that her fingers would grip Raven's skin softly, and that would prompt a quiet moan from Raven. Terra knew that Raven's nipples would harden as she played with her breasts, and Terra would flick them until they peaked. She'd lean forward, and the shower water would soak her hair. It would cling to her face, and she'd feel the oddly satisfying sensation of grit sliding down her scalp. Terra would push her soaked hair back out of her face, and take the nipple into her mouth. She'd suck it softly, flick her tongue over it, before switching breasts.

Terra's fingers slipped inside her panties. She found that she was sore from last night. She pushed near her labia and found that it was tender. It felt bruised, and when she slid her finger across her clit, she jumped so badly she nearly lost her balance. She removed her fingers and just touched her underwear again, pressing three fingers flat against the surface and slowly rocking her hips. That felt better, much better.

She let the fantasy roll on.

It played out much the same way last night. Kissing, touching…

By the time Terra imagined Raven slipping two of her fingers inside of her, Terra felt an orgasm pulse through her body. Her muscles tightened, her fingers pressed hard up against her body, her legs shook. She didn't breathe, didn't move, until she'd finished. As her orgasm lessened, she pressed her fingers back up against herself, moving her hips again, and the aftershocks came. Her legs shuddered, her toes curling up against the rocks.

She didn't want to stop; Terra felt like she could do this until the end of time. Just stay there in that cave, coming again and again to the thought of Raven and her in the shower. But the time she'd finished her fourth orgasm, she was light-headed and dizzy, and craving a drink of water. But she didn't want to stop. She rubbed another one out, and then she decided to quit.

She reached for her canister and ended up swigging down most of the bottle.

Terra stood up and starting preparing her things. She didn't plan on moving her camp for the next few days, so she decided she didn't need to pack up. Still, she organized her camp site, cleaned a few things up, put a few things in storage (or what counted as storage), and then changed her clothes. She stripped her panties off and saw the that the wet spot now coated most of the middle. She didn't really feel shame, but there was an odd twinge of guilt there.

Other than that, it meant that she couldn't wear them again until they were washed, and who knew how long it would take her to wrestle up some money for a laundromat.

With her boots on and her laces tied, she stepped out of the cave.

The sun shone bright and hot down on the rocky landscape that she called her home. The heat was sweltering, but the ocean breezes cooled most of Jump City. It lifted her hair, making it tickle her face. A smile quirked at the corner of her lips, and she scratched her cheek to make it go away.

Across the bay was Titans' Tower. Giant and shining in the sunlight, a constant reminder of the Titans' presence, a beacon of hope for some, a warning for others. As she looked at it, something twisted in her gut. Terra had felt it before; it was homesickness. She wrinkled her nose at the thought.

To be homesick for Titans' Tower? It was ridiculous. She'd barely spent two nights in that place, and already it was making her sick to be away from it. She tore her eyes away from the sight and turned around.

Slade stood behind her.

She screamed and fell backwards into the dirt. "What—what?" she tried to say, but all words escaped her.

He wasn't standing all that close to her, but the fact that he was there. That he had come so close to her and she hadn't heard him… It was scary, at least. Predatory at most. She swallowed, hard, and scrambled back in the dirt.

"I didn't mean to startle you," Slade said. His voice was smooth and soft. It was like honey to her ears, though she knew she shouldn't trust it. Still, his voice sounded almost kind. Gentle. Not like a predator's. Terra put a hand to her chest, feeling her heart thundering inside of her.

Slade took a small step forward and offered her his hand. "May I help you up?" he asked her.

Terra stood up on her own.

Slade took a step back, standing where he had when she'd first turned around.

"It can be quite beautiful, when the sun hits it just right," Slade said.

Terra took steps away from him, trying to distance herself. It wasn't like she could just run. Not only were all her things still in the cave, but she felt like straight up running wasn't right. He wasn't someone you run from; to get away from him, you had to do more than just that.

"Do you ever wonder how they see it?" Slade asked her. "The people of Jump City? Ordinary people, living their lives, just trying to find some sense of normality. But their Tower, so big and obvious—clearly, whenever they see it, it just reminds them of what kind of place this is."

Terra said nothing.

Why can't he just go away? she thought.

When she turned around to look at him, she saw that he was gone. That creeped her out more than she cared to admit. Who the hell was this guy?

As the day went on, she thought that she had imagined it. It was so weird, so quick, so unusual. It just didn't seem right. Terra figured that she was still half asleep when it happened, so it must have been her mind playing tricks on her. She'd heard about sleep paralysis plenty of times, but she'd never experienced it. She hadn't any idea what it was like, but she wondered if it were anything like that. She didn't know. Maybe tomorrow she'd find a library and go look it up. It's not like she had anything else to do. She still had the food Raven had given her, so she didn't need to go shopping. She still had some money tucked away in her backpack, so she didn't need to go coin searching on the sidewalks. Besides, the day was hot, and she was waiting for Raven.

While she waited, she practiced her powers on her own. She tried the technique that Raven had taught her those past few days. She focused, trying to put a meditative concentration on the rock. She could move rocks easily; it was just a matter of stopping herself when she needed to. She was careful, never moving more than one rock at a time. She knew how dangerous her power was, and she knew that her nerves were fried. Slade always put her on edge. Ever since he'd made her lose control that one time…

He was on her mind, and she had to be careful now. One bad thought, and it could be a tornado of flying rock and dirt all over again.

The sun beat down on her as she worked. She rolled the sleeves of her top up, and then discarded it entirely, preferring to work in a clean white tank top instead. The sweat soaked her back, and the white top absorbed it all. Beads of sweat were thick along her hairline; she pulled her hair back into a ponytail while she worked. The top became sheer the most she sweat. It clung to her skin, molded perfectly to her form. Which she wasn't too proud of; stick-straight figured and flat chested as she was.

Whatever, she thought. I'm not here to look attractive; I'm here to work.

She smirked, and picked up the next rock. She clenched her fist in a tight ball, and watched as the boulder cracked and crumbled. A smile cracked across her face, and she moved onto the next boulder, picking it up and punting it into the air. It flew up, high above the earth, and then plummeted quick, about to shatter with the ground when Terra stopped it, a full foot above impact. Pride bubbled within her.

"I can do this," she said to herself.

She punted it up again, stopping it each time. She let it get closer and closer to the ground, challenging herself. A foot away, six inches away, two inches away. Terra's confidence was skyrocketing. She tried again. Two inches. She let it smash down the other two inches, and pumped her fist in the air. "Yeah!" she cried out.

She looked around, wondering what she could do next. The giant boulder still sat in front of her, completely un-cracked from all her trials. She walked over and put her hands on the side, planting her feet into the gravelly ground and pushing. She pushed hard, putting all of her body weight into it, and all she got was it slightly tilted. When she felt like her muscles were about to give out, she stepped back and fell onto her butt in the sand. The rock remained unmoved.

"Oh no, you don't," Terra mumbled to herself.

She breathed deep, stretching her aching limbs, and stood back up. Taking a wide stance, she shoved her palms up against the boulder, and, aiding with her powers, the boulder flew over the earth, not stopping until it crashed into a grassy ledge over a dozen yards away. Terra sauntered over to it.

The breeze picked up, cooling her. It felt so damn good; Terra sighed and held her arms out, facing the sea and letting the cool wind kiss away her sweat. She pulled her ponytail off of her neck, the wet strands sliding off her slick skin, and turned around so the breeze would hit her back. When the breeze died down, she leaned onto the boulder.

Maybe Raven is helping, Terra thought to herself. Just the thought filled her with a joy she couldn't even being to describe. She couldn't keep the smile off her face, and she didn't want to. She crossed her arms and looked down at her boots, thinking of ways in which she'd improved.

So far, she'd been training all day and she'd hadn't lost control once. Not once. And she was becoming more accurate, too. Able to stop the rocks on a dime. Who knew what else she could do? It was only a matter of time before she was able to do whatever, whenever. Without fear of accidentally hurting someone…

"I need water," Terra thought aloud. She ran back over to her cave.

The water canister was right where she left it. The water was still nice and cold from being in a dark cave all day, and she sucked it down, her body craving the fresh water. She drank all of it in one gulp; she wanted more, but had to restrain herself from drinking the other canister. She panted, and swept a few loose strands of hair from her face.

Outside, the sky was turning purple. Shades of lavender and lilac, amethyst and orchid, mauve and heather filled the sky. The breeze was still fresh and cold, and it whipped past Terra's overheated body. But with the temperature going down, she shivered.

A certain feeling of cold ran up her spine, and then brushed past her, like the beat of wings. Shadows grew thick around her, and she heard the soft pat of feet touch the ground.

"Busy day?" she asked Raven.

Raven said nothing, but walked up beside her. Her gaze went from the ocean, to Terra, then back again. "You need a shower," she told her.

"Yeah, I know," Terra said. "I've been working all day. But look!" Terra said. She spun around and pulled a boulder towards her. She glanced behind her to make sure Raven was watching, and then punted the boulder high up above them.

Raven's eyes grew wide as she watched the boulder grow smaller and smaller up in the sky, and then plummet down towards the ground like a meteor.

Terra watched and waited, waiting for it to come close and closer. Just as it was about to hit, Terra put her arms out, letting the geokinetic power flow from her hands and envelop them in a golden yellow light, and the boulder stopped. Less than an inch from the ground. With a smile, she turned around to face Raven, gesturing to the stopped boulder. She bowed, and then let it rest on the ground.

"Well?" Terra asked her.

"That was…impressive…I guess…" Raven said.

"I'm going to take that as a compliment," Terra told her. She put her hands on her hips and studied the boulder for a minute. "Come on, Raven," she said a second later. "You've gotta admit that was cool! I mean, about a week ago or so, I would never have been able to do that."

"Do what?" Raven asked. "Throw it up that high, or stop it like that?"

"Stop it like that," Terra replied. "I've always been able to throw boulders like that. Well, not always. But for a long time."

Raven didn't say anything for a long time. Terra bit her lip, suddenly uncomfortable with the silence. She wanted Raven to say something. Or at least do something instead of stand there. After all, wasn't she supposed to be helping her? Training her or something like that?

"So…" Terra said, "what do you want to help me with?"

Raven thought for a moment. "You've been working on control today, right?" Raven asked her.

"Well, yeah," Terra said. "I work on that everyday."

Raven rolled her eyes. "Not what I meant," she said. "The way you've been practicing your timing with the boulder, as it's about to crash. That's what you've been working on, right?"

"For most of the day, yeah," Terra said.

"You've gotten pretty good at it too," Raven said.

Terra lit up at her words. When Raven saw the bright smile she was giving her, she blushed and pointedly looked out at the sea. But she could still see Terra practically beaming at her.

"Thanks," Terra said.

Raven nodded stiffly.

Terra took a step closer to Raven, but didn't press her luck further. Terra glanced at the stoney expression on Raven's face and wondered if she regretted last night. Terra didn't regret it, though it did make her feel somewhat odd. The way things had happened, how they'd been so intimate with each other despite the fact they still seemed like strangers. Raven was aloof now, but Terra had seen past that somehow. But now, here and now, while they stood apart looking at the ocean, it seemed like that was a million lifetimes ago.

"Do you regret it?" Terra asked. She regretted asking that. She winced, mentally scolding herself. Of all the things to ask!

"No," Raven said.

"What? Really?" Terra asked, stunned that Raven had answered so quickly. Stunned that she had answered at all. But Raven said no more than that, and Terra didn't push it. She wanted to, though. She wanted to ask if Raven felt weird about it, if she felt this strange sort of bond had formed between them, if she somehow felt close to her and yet so far away at the same time. Terra wanted to know if this confusion was normal.

Terra wanted to ask, Do you feel confused? Is it normal to feel confused? Why am I confused? I didn't know it would be like this.

After listening to the breeze for a few minutes, Raven asked, "Do you have anything else to show me?"

"What?" Terra asked. She'd been zoning out.

"You showed me what you did with that boulder…stopping it and whatnot… Anything else?"

"Oh. Um?" Terra thought for a minute. She was glad to get her mind off of…whatever it was. She looked around the rocky landscape, at the boulders and stones and pebbles, at the sand and gravel and grass, at the slopes and hills and cliffs, and even the cave that she bunked in.

"OH!" Terra said, making Raven jump. "I can do this!"

Terra started running off, taking off towards the nearest, largest rock she could find. She leapt up, soaring over the ground, and pounded her fists on the rock just as her feet hit the solid surface. It exploded into large chunks, flying through the air and littering the ground.

Raven put her arm up to shield her from the debris.

Terra stood up and kicked one of the rocks, sending it hurdling over the cliff. She gave Raven a smirk. Raven put her arm down and tried to smile.

"Not bad," she said.

"Not bad?" Terra repeated. "But not good?" She arched an eyebrow.

"No, it was fine," Raven said. She sighed and turned to face her. She looked at Terra's shoulder like she wanted to touch it, but Raven was never much for comforting people. Comforting or communicating real well. She closed her eyes, tucked a bit of her hair behind her ear, and said, "You did well."

"But…?" Terra asked.

"You still want to work on controlling your powers, don't you? You don't seem to have complete control yet." Raven wondered if it was the right thing to say, then realized she didn't much care. "And you can't expect to learn control after one day. Especially not how you went about it."

Terra crossed her arms in front of her. "How I 'went about it?'" she asked.

"There's more training. More discipline. It requires strength of mind just as well as strength of body. Calm. Control. You need to find your center."

Terra frowned and walked towards the side of the cliff, listening to the waves.

Raven walked up beside her. "You shouldn't ignore my advice," Raven told her. "To be in control of your powers, you must be in control of yourself."

Terra wanted to say something snarky, but for the sake of a peaceful moment, she decided to just let the issue drop. Raven said no more words, as she often did. She was always fond of the quiet, never saying to much.

Terra still had to wonder who exactly this woman was that she was falling for. Did she have a last name? Where did she come from? What would it be like to talk to her? To really, actually talk to her? To stay up with her one night, sitting around a campfire underneath the stars, eating s'mores and drinking cider, telling each other monster stories and laughing the night away? Terra had to wonder about that.

Raven could sense the longing in her. And the confusion. Her emotions were freely floating in the air around them, and Raven could pick up on them all. She could sense that and so much more just hiding beneath the surface. Terra didn't know how obvious her emotions were, nor how plain her thoughts. Granted, she wasn't as readable as a book, but Raven could tell just what was going on in her mind.

"Did you want to train tonight, or not? It seems like you've been working pretty hard all day," Raven said.

"I'll…" Terra started. What did she want? It wasn't about training. It was about whether or not Raven stayed with her. Did she want Raven here, or did she want to just take a night to be alone again. It was comforting, to be alone. She was alone so often that it felt so normal, and then it surpassed normal to become her sole comfort.

Aside from s'mores.

"Maybe for a little bit?" Terra suggested. "I mean, not for hours on end, but, like…uh…maybe just a couple of minutes." She paused. "What'd'ya wanna teach me?" she asked, trying to sound more enthusiastic.

"You should try meditating some more," Raven quietly said.

Terra's shoulders slumped. Meditating. Great. Just what she didn't want to do.

Still, she didn't argue about it, and didn't hesitate in sitting down with Raven near the cliffside, eyes closed and legs crossed and hands placed on her knees. Raven floated in the air beside her while Terra was stuck on the ground. Not that she minded; she preferred it, in fact. The earth was her home, the rock her comfort, the stone her strength. She would gladly be attached to it.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos," Raven chanted, her voice raspy on the breeze.

Terra chanted with her, saying those strange words she didn't recognize.

Terra just tried to stay upbeat about it, and not let the monotonous, boring activity dull her spirits. She chanted, and thought, letting her mind wander. She thought about lots of things: of the places she'd gone, the caves she'd stayed in, the few friends she'd met along the way, the sometimes crazy stories she'd hear. None of it really seemed to keep her mind occupied for long, though.

So she let her mind wander back to this morning, when she was waking up around noon, fantasizing about a hot shower and a soft sofa. Of Raven in the hot shower. Of her back, her hips, her hair. Of the steam caressing their naked bodies, of her lips soft and warm against hers, of the smell of sweet soap.

"You need a shower?" Raven asked, opening her eyes.

Really, that's what she picked up on? Terra thought.

"Uh…yeah…I guess…" Terra said.

Raven looked her over: sweaty shirt, gritty stringy hair, the scent of body odor radiating off of her. Yeah, she did need one. How long had it been since her last one? More than a day.

Raven went back to meditating, trying to ignore the dirty state Terra was in.

"I suppose I could clean off in the ocean," Terra said.

"I don't think salt water is the healthiest option," Raven replied. But then again, it was a hundred times healthier than just staying sweaty and covering in dirt. "Fresh water would be better."

"Can I use your shower?" Terra blurted out.

"What?" Raven asked, somewhat dazed. "In the Tower? I thought you didn't want to set foot in the Tower again."

Terra opened her mouth, then closed it, trying to think of what to say. The vision danced right in front of her eyes: Raven's back streaked with soap, shower water dripping off her body, her hair slicked back, the feel of her gray skin tinged pink.

Raven narrowed her eyes slightly, watching as a lustful yet embarrassed blush crossed Terra's cheeks. She knew she shouldn't have been surprised; not after last night. After last night, after what they had done together in the cave, Raven shouldn't have had any of her inhibitions. But she did.

"Maybe the sea water would be best."


End file.
